Insurgence
by Palaven Blues
Summary: AU When the batarians joined the Council, the almost-unknown turians were declared to be a non-sapient species. Now Shepard and her former pet Garrus are at the center of the turians' movement to be recognized and fight for their freedom. Rated M for reasons. Trigger warnings for past abuse, past sexual abuse, brainwashing, etc, offscreen. Starts Nihlus/Solana, others developing.
1. Feral

Insurgence

Chapter One

_Feral_

Kate Shepard wove through the normal Citadel crowds beside her friend Tali. Both women were carrying their bags of food from the one grocery store they liked; even though Tali had gotten married and moved to a bigger place with Kal, they still preferred to do their grocery shopping together. Masses of batarians, asari, and salarians bustled past, as well as a handful of humans, quarians, krogan. Everyone was so intent on their destinations, it felt like fighting her way upstream to spawn, except that salmon didn't keep jabbing people in the ribs. Shepard sidestepped a krogan bearing down on her; he wasn't even looking where he was going.

_There wouldn't be so many people if it was raining,_ Kate grumbled to herself. If it were raining, there would be a reason for the uneasy feeling developing in her stomach. Of course, it never rained on the Citadel. Artificial sunlight kept the Presidium alert for fourteen hours a day, all twenty hours here in the wards. Raised as a colony kid, she needed twenty-nine hours in a day, half of them dark. She needed to sometimes sit by the window staring out into the rain, brooding over her past failures and anticipating the failures still to come. Suddenly she had to laugh at herself.

"What is so funny?" Tali asked her. Her head tilted far to the side, the exaggerated body language of a quarian who had gotten used to facial expressions not making it through the tinted face-plate.

"I don't know. Feeling weird, I guess. The last time I had such a sense of doom, was after I ate one of your dextro protein bars." Her body had realized what was wrong before she had actually gotten sick; it had manifested as a sense that the entire world was about to end. Then once the physical reaction hit, she had been stuck in the bathroom _wishing_ the world would end. She was much more careful to check labels after that.

"Keelah, maybe if you would show some discrimination instead of scarfing down anything that does not eat you first …." Tali play-punched Kate's shoulder, and Kate bumped Tali's hip in return.

"Oh, please." Kate rolled her eyes. "You fed it to me on purpose, you maniac. I know you think you're special, because you're the only sapient dextro race—" Shepard stopped mid-sentence, feet rooted to the ground.

Tali walked on a few paces, oblivious to the rustling noise that had grabbed Kate's attention. "Oh, this is a good restaurant. The have a levo menu, too, you should let Kal and me bring you for your … Kate?"

Shepard had not moved since she heard the sound, but her body remained active. A taste of metal flooded her mouth as she prepared to fight, run, maybe die. Her muscles tightened as she ran through the possibilities in her head.

It hadn't sounded familiar, that was the thing. It wasn't one of the people from the sparse crowds; it wasn't making people-sounds. But even in the Wards, there should not be any varren or pyjaks running loose.

Tali had turned around by now, but Kate couldn't hear her; her entire focus was on the alley beside her, where the noise came again, a hushed shuffling in the darkness. Shepard whirled toward it, crouching, dropping her grocery bags. There was something in the alley.

"Tali, light," she whispered. Without waiting for a response, she crept forward, stepping from fake sunlight into shadow; her arm slightly raised, ready to activate her omni-blade if the need arose. Her father had taught her self-defense as a kid, her job now as a bouncer meant she always had to be ready to stop—or start—a fight, and her dismissal from the Alliance military had not been for physical inadequacy. Whatever waited for her there in the darkness, she could take it.

The rustling sound stopped once Shepard slipped into the alley. _It knows I'm here._ She stepped around some broken glass and rotten food as she glided toward it. Whatever it was, it was now just a meter and a half ahead; striking distance. Kate hesitated, about to call for Tali again, when the alley flooded with light, and her arm sagged. "It's just a turian," she said, expelling the breath she had been holding.

"Ewww, leave it," Tali whined.

Kate stood up on shaky legs, moving slowly so she didn't scare it. The turian stood half-crouched, paused with one hand on the restaurant's dumpster. It was skinnier than any she had ever come across, all wasted muscle with a thinness to the face she did not like seeing. How long had the poor thing been rooting for food in dumpsters? Probably, calling animal control was the best bet, but the way he looked at her ….

He _seemed_ frozen in terror, but his pale blue eyes showed no fear. He didn't look like he dared hope she might give him food, nor did he seem afraid of her yelling or hitting. He just looked ….

"Resigned," Kate whispered. She couldn't let someone from animal control grab him. They would scare him, throw him in a cage, and if no one adopted him in time ….

"Hey, big guy, you hungry?" Shepard asked. She took a few steps backward, not taking her eyes off of his, and reached into Tali's grocery bag.

"Aw, Kate, stop that. Those are expensive!"

"Don't worry, I'll pay you back," Kate murmured.

Shepard grabbed a pre-made sandwich, tearing each piece of packaging off and dropping them back into the bag. Once the smell reached the turian he perked up a little; she now had his full attention.

"Kate, wait. Don't just …."

Shep ignored the tiny gloved hand pulling at her shirt, and stepped toward the turian, still moving deliberately for the frightened animal's benefit. "Are you hungry?" she asked again.

The turian looked as though he couldn't decide whether to grab the food, to flee, or to grab the food _then_ flee. He stood up straight for a minute, showcasing his two-meter-plus height, then he crouched back down, making himself as small as possible. His mandibles flailed, then slammed tight against his face as he watched her creep closer. As soon as the food was within his reach, he snatched it out of Kate's hand and backed up a few steps. The little sandwich was gone in two bites and he looked at her hopefully for more.

"Look how hungry, Tali."

"Look how _toothy,_ Kate," the quarian returned. She wrung her hands, seeming to wash them in mid-air.

Shepard's brow furrowed. "Are you okay, Tali?"

Tali shook her head. "Big. Teeth. Heavy."

She was right about that, anyway. Needle-like teeth were visible even though the animal hadn't growled or snarled or anything; she really didn't need something that big and dangerous in the apartment. Besides, his scales would ruin all the furniture. Plus, a long list of dead fish, piscine casualties to her care, testified to her inability to keep an animal. It just wouldn't be fair to take him home, knowing she couldn't care for him properly. A hundred reasons why she shouldn't keep him gnawed at her.

Still ….

"What should we do?" Shepard asked, turning to Tali.

"Take it to a shelter," she advised. "They'll take good care of it, find it a home. Or, you know, just leave it where you found it. It's just a stray, a feral. It's not your responsibility."

Kate looked back to the turian. He had been inching forward while they spoke, but stopped once she looked back. It was the most bizarre game of "Mother, May I?" she had ever seen. "It's okay, big guy, don't be scared of me." She held out a hand and the turian bumped his head into it.

"Do _not_ get attached!" Tali yelled, swaying back and forth in anxiety.

"I'm not, I'm not." Shepard undid her belt. The turian's eyes went wide when he saw it but otherwise, he did not move. She spoke to him soothingly, nonsense words and sounds that somehow came out of everybody's mouth when dealing with an animal or baby. She looped the belt round his neck to use as a makeshift collar and leash.

"I can hear the newsvid already," Tali sniped. "Six dead when idiot tries to control rogue turian. She tried to use a belt as a leash, but once the animal felt the belt choking it, it viciously mauled her and several people in the vicinity—" She shifted her groceries to get to her omni-tool and furiously keyed something into it.

"Knock it off, Tali, he's a good boy. You'll be good, right? Show Miss Tali we can be good." Her voice was high and sing-song, and Tali snorted laughter.

"Of course, you're going to sound like _that_ now. Come on, I found a shelter. We need to get rid of that thing quickly." Tali set a brisk pace down the block and Shepard tugged lightly at the belt-leash; the turian complied instantly. He behaved way too well on the leash to be a feral; he must have been someone's treasured pet.

At the mouth of the alley, the turian scooped up Kate's grocery bags before she could get to them, then immediately flinched back from her.

"Hey, it's okay. If you want to carry for me, I won't complain." _He's been abused,_ she realized. It's a shame he wasn't wearing any tags; if she knew what to call him, he might feel more comfortable—

"Do _not_ name that thing!" Tali called, a dozen meters away and seemingly reading Shepard's mind.

"Come on, big guy, let's catch up before she leaves us behind."

#

Tali kicked the doorframe on her way out of the shelter. The turian shifted to keep Shepard fully in front of him, protecting him from the angry, suited sprite.

"Tali –"

"They're full," Tali snapped. "How are they full? You're going to insist on keeping this monster—" Tali's spoke rapidly, words fighting their way out, disjointed. Kate had no idea what had gotten her so worked up when she usually stayed so calm.

"So what if I do? You wouldn't be keeping him, I would. What do you have against him anyway?" She kept her voice steady, trying to keep from agitating her friend any more.

"Maybe it's the fact that they're dirty. Or maybe it's the horrible, vicious claws that would rip my suit and leave me fighting for my life. Again." One suited hand rubbed at the opposite arm. "My father had to save me once, from a turian attack. It was a pet, too, not some wild animal found on the street."

Shepard waited while Tali swayed. She didn't need Tali's permission to keep an animal. On the other hand, she couldn't just tell Tali to deal with it; Tali wasn't trying to be a mean or anything, and Kate wouldn't make her face a phobia every day. But how could she just dump him, knowing that the shelters were full and that he would likely get put down?

Some of it must have shown on her face because Tali snickered abruptly.

"You humans are terrible at—what do you call it, puppy dog eyes? Your beady little eyes aren't able pull it off." Tali took a deep breath, making an obvious effort to relax. "You had better make sure to get everything it needs to live with you."

Kate grinned like a little kid who'd just gotten the present she'd _begged _to get for weeks on end; Tali rattled off a list of instructions.

"Don't let it on the furniture or it will think it's in charge. Don't let it eat before you eat. Don't have your hands in the bowl while you feed it!"

"Tali. If I get a training book, will you stop freaking out? Big guy, stay here a second." Shepard dropped the end of the belt to give Tali a quick hug. "I'll be okay, Tali, and I'll show you that he's fully trained before you spend any time around him."

"You'd better. I—oh, Keelah," she muttered as her omni-tool beeped. "And now I am late. I have to get back to Kal. You just … just be careful. And don't turn into the crazy turian lady just because I moved out, okay?" She hugged Shepard again, wrapping her arms almost tight enough to hurt. Tali took a moment before letting her friend go.

"I'll be fine, Tali, I promise. Now, go get to Kal before he thinks I kidnapped you for that girls' trip to Omega we've been planning." Kate grinned; she had mentioned the trip every time she had seen him since he had proposed to Tali.

Tali laughed out loud, and it was good to hear the note of panic had left her voice. "You have to stop saying things like that, at least when he's around. He doesn't know you're joking!" Her omni-tool beeped again and she shook her head. "Okay, I really have to go now. Be careful!" she repeated.

Shepard waved good-bye at her, and then turned to smile at her new turian. "You get to stay with me, big guy, yes, you do, yes you do." She keyed in a search on her omni-tool and found a pet store nearby that was willing to deliver. "Turian bed … food … naming book … jeez, you're expensive."

The turian seemed to quail at that and Shep had to reassure him. "Oh, don't feel bad, Sir Scalypants. It's okay."

The turian did not fidget while Kate picked out things. Her eyes kept glancing up, wondering at that, but he just stayed immobile while he waited. "There," she said finally. Now they just had to get back to the apartment before the delivery guy did.

"Are you up for a little run?"

The turian tilted one mandible up; it looked like a hesitant smile. Shep patted her leg and started jogging. The turian kept up easily, his long-legged stride eating up the meters as he kept to an easy pace beside her determined jog. She caught quite a few startled glances as they raced by. _People really should train their turians,_ Kate decided. She saw a couple of them, here and there; never too many in the wards. All were on leash and their owners looked surprised to see her turian behaving even without the control of a leash.

_Not that hard. They must be smart as pyjaks, for how fast he's learning._

#

Shepard was panting lightly by the time they reached her apartment door. The turian, however, was not in the least winded, having kept up effortlessly even while carrying the groceries.

_Damn, I'm going to have to get back on program. I'm not in shape enough now to keep a turian._

Kate unlocked the door and stepped inside. "Come on, big guy," she called. The turian slid one foot through the doorframe, eyes darting to try to take in everything at once. Shepard took the grocery bags from him but let him stay by the door, getting acclimated to the place.

That lasted only until she disappeared from his view; the moment she had passed the kitchen doorframe, he came barreling in after her, trembling all over.

"Hey, it's okay. I just went to the kitchen." She started to pull cold food out of the bags, then gave up and shoved the bags into the fridge untouched, leaning against the fridge door to force it shut. Most of it was probably fridge stuff, anyway. Plus, she could hardly move with the turian crowding right up her ass; he didn't seem to want to allow more than a few centimeters of space between them. The belt-leash bumped her arm as she turned to wash her hands before fixing dinner.

"Oh, hey, you don't need to wear that still," she said. She took the belt off of him, debated the wisdom of pulling it back through all her belt-loops, and decided to just throw it into the living room instead. The turian flinched when she raised her arm, and she reassured him once more.

"Not gonna hit you, big guy, it's okay," she soothed, rubbing his arm. "Why don't we go relax on the—"

The door chime interrupted her, and a moment later a voice called out. "Hello? Someone here? Door open."

The turian stiffened, a deep growl building in his throat at the potential threat.

"Easy, big guy, don't—" Shep nearly fell as the turian pushed past her in his mad dash to get to the door and scare away the intruder. "Hey!" she yelled. She grabbed his arm before he could get too far and shook one finger in his face. "Knock that off! No, sir! You be nice and shush, it's going to be the delivery guy."

The growl cut off so quickly it was like she'd thrown a switch. Kate swung open the door, closed just enough to hide the deliveryman from view. The salarian had one bag stuffed with pet store goodies in his arms and several more at his feet.

"Delivery for Shepard? Turian bed, food, books, etc.?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"Sign here," he told her, holding out his omni-tool for her electronic signature. Once she'd signed, he started shuttling all her merchandise through the doorway.

"New owner?" he asked, looking around.

"Uh … yeah." Kate's eyes narrowed, sensing the hook buried somewhere in the innocent question.

"Did you register him?" the salarian asked.

"Register?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "Must be registered. Also, legally required to fix voices. Cannot own unaltered animal on Citadel. Very illegal. Very expensive if found out." The salarian coughed softly after his quick speech.

_Is this a shake-down?_ "Well, he is fixed. Quiet as a—" The deliveryman stepped closer to her; just a little too close for her turian, who began growling again.

"I see. Should also get him … ah, the other kind of fixed," he said, pointing to the turian's crotch. "Males tend to get protective. Can be dangerous. Not legally required; however …." The salarian trailed off, waiting.

"How much to get him registered?" Kate asked, glowering.

The salarian ignored her question, continuing with his pitch. "Can take care of through the store. Bring license tag tomorrow. Bit of problem, with voice box intact, however."

Kate ground her teeth. "Quit trying to pussyfoot around it, just give me the damn amount you're blackmailing."

"Two hundred."

Shepard gaped. "You're a fucking criminal, you know that?"

"Not the one with illegal animal in apartment," the salarian pointed out, sniffing delicately.

"Fine," she grumbled, punching buttons on her omni-tool. "There you go."

"Pleasure doing business with you. Send his name over to store tonight. Can bring name tag for him tomorrow with license."

Shepard shut the door on him before he could demand any more credits. Her turian sorted through the bags, touching a talon to one item then another, but not taking anything out completely; he seemed to be just looking through to catalogue everything she had gotten.

"Well, are you hungry?" she asked him. He stopped sniffing around the folded-up bed she'd bought and stared at her, mandibles thrumming. "Guess that's a 'yes.'"

#

A few minutes later, her turian lay on the floor, curled around a bowl of … well, not quite kibble. The pieces of whatever-it-was were big enough for him to pick up, kinda like the giant shredded wheat blocks. Except, nothing with those fucking teeth ate wheat. Kate sat on the couch, flipping through the turian raising guide. She guessed he must be full grown, as he towered over her. Jeez, she hoped he didn't get any bigger. Something else in the book caught her eye.

"You're not going to hump all the furniture, are you?" she asked. His mandibles drooped as he put on a reproachful look. "Don't be offended, it was just a question." She tried to absorb all the information she'd need to get him situated into her house with no problems, but her eyes kept glazing over. Something about paper books just put her to sleep. After about the third time she forced her eyes back open, she saw that her turian had crawled up onto the couch with her, and was playing with the naming book.

"Oh, isn't that cute … hey, where'd you find a pen?"

The turian jumped up at the change in tone, backing away from her and cowering by the bookcase.

Shepard got up, leaving her book on the couch. "Let me see it." She held her hand out until he placed the pen in it, careful not to poke her with it. "And the book," she insisted, holding out her other hand. He gave it back to her, quaking, and she couldn't help it; she had to comfort him.

"Easy, big guy, easy," she whispered, stroking his cowl. It was just at the right level with him sitting on the floor. He stayed tense for a moment, then wrapped his long arms around her legs, burying his face in her thigh. He certainly was friendly. She flipped through the book he'd been playing with, wondering how badly he'd scribbled on it. Instead, she found a circled name. She started giggling; it looked like he had done it on purpose.

"So, I guess your name is Garrus then, huh?"

Garrus looked up at her, tilting his head as she laughed. He spread his mandibles at her again; it really looked like a smile.

"Oh, all right, then. Garrus it is. Sir Garrus Scalypants, esquire." Garrus chuffed a bit at that, and Shepard relented. "All right, just 'Garrus.' Come on, I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

Garrus seemed to know that word, as he scrambled to his feet and raced her into the bedroom. Before she could do more than grab his new plush bed, Garrus bolted through the doorway. Dragging the heavy thing behind her, she paused in the doorway to turn on the light and blow the short red curls out of her eyes. Garrus lay sprawled in the middle of her bed.

"I don't think so," she told him. She dragged the pet bed to the foot of hers and snapped her fingers, pointing at it. "Down."

Garrus looked at her, mandibles sagging, his face showing her how cruelly she treated him, making him sleep on the cold, hard ground.

She wasn't buying it. "No, sir. Down," she repeated, snapping her fingers again. He hung his head, crawling off of her comforter and settling on the clearly inadequate bed she'd bought him.

Kate changed into her nightshirt, brushed her teeth, got ready for bed. The entire time she felt his intelligent, mournful eyes on her, asking why she'd make him sleep on the floor when he hadn't done anything wrong? She climbed into bed and burrowed deep into the covers, still aware of his eyes tracking every move. He rested his chin on the edge of the mattress.

And sighed, deeply.

Kate sat up and glared. "You are so manipulative, you know that?" she asked. "Fine, but just for tonight." She patted the comforter beside her and Garrus scrambled onto the bed, bumping her arm with his forehead to show affection.

Shepard pulled at the blankets, unable to move them since his weight pinned them down and trapped her. "Seriously, Garrus, leave me some bed, would you?"

He backed off just a little, leaving her enough room to sleep, but no more. Kate grumbled to herself, not really upset. What was better than the unconditional love of a pet, an animal who looked as though he might die of grief if he didn't pet him that very second? She stroked his fringe, smiling at the purring sound he made as her fingers whispered over him. She guessed this made her one of those people now, the kind who let their animals sleep right up on the bed with them. At least she didn't tuck him in; he could sleep on top of the damn blankets.


	2. Mistress

Chapter Two

_Mistress_

Kate woke to find her turian Garrus nuzzling her face. "Erg, jeez, knock that off," she fussed, nudging his face away. She glanced at the clock, groaning. Two hours. Two more hours she could have been asleep.

Garrus head-bumped her shoulder.

"Alright, alright," she grumbled. She guessed it couldn't hurt to get up early. She still had to feed him, and walk him, and whatever else he needed before she left for work. Was there anything else? She'd left the raising guide out in the living room, somewhere. Kate pulled a face as she realized she hadn't made it all the way through the book. Really, how hard could it be? You feed them, and … and, uh …. Garrus's head slammed into her shoulder this time, pushing her toward the edge of the bed.

"Okay, I'm up. Let me just pee, first." She stumbled toward the bathroom, dropping her panties to sit down.

Garrus stared at her through the open door.

"Dude, occupied," she yelled, swinging ineffectually for the door. His face disappeared for a moment, but came back when he realized she couldn't reach him. Garrus stared until Kate got up to wash her hands, and then he snuck by her into the bathroom.

"Really not cool, Garrus, you're supposed to wait while—" She broke off mid-sentence when she turned the faucet off, but the water noise kept going.

He was using the toilet.

"Goddamn, you're smart," she whispered. She'd never heard of a turian going in the toilet unprompted.

He even flushed. He must really be as smart as a pyjak, at least.

"Good boy," she praised him, wanting to make sure he kept the habit. She'd have to walk him either way, but if he could use the bathroom properly, she wouldn't have to clean up any messes on their walks.

Kate threw on a pair of sweatpants; she didn't care what she looked like while taking her turian for a walk. Garrus grabbed his collar and leash when she got to the living room. He stood still while she fixed the collar around his neck, then nearly pulled her through the door as she opened it.

"Hang on, buddy," she said, looking to see what she had stepped on. Was she expecting a package? She opened the little yellow envelope to find the tags the deliveryman had promised yesterday.

"Hold still." She fiddled with the little metal rings, not wanting to take the collar off and put it back on. Garrus squirmed, impatient to go already. "Now remember, you have to be pretty quiet. I already got your voice fixed, remember?" She pointed at him; he nuzzled her finger. _I hope that means he understands._ Then she started the walk, finding out all-too-soon that taking an untrained turian on a walk was more like being dragged behind a horse than anything else. After the fifth time she corrected him for pulling, she sighed to herself. She would have to get him enrolled in some kind of training class, but at least it looked like he'd use up all his energy before she had to leave him home while she went to work.

#

Ten hours later, Kate checked her watch for the third time in the last few minutes, chewing on her lip. She set her drink down and leaned in to speak to Charles over the music.

"Really, Charles, I do have to get going." Was this the fourth or fifth time she had tried that particular gambit? Garrus must be going crazy, all alone in the apartment.

"It's early, though." Charles put on a playful pout, batting eyelashes that looked unnaturally thick to be on a guy. "It took me six months to get you to come out with me, don't tell me you're folding this early."

"I got a new turian. I shouldn't have left him so long in the first place. I gotta go." She hopped down from her barstool, swaying only a moment before finding her footing. Charles held her hand, face still pleading with her to stay.

Kate opened her mouth to tell him "no," but changed her mind halfway through. "I've got liquor at my place," she offered instead.

Charles's eyes went wide. "Two drinks, then straight to your place? Yeah, sure. Let's go." He started to grab his jacket, while trying to finish his drink and pay the tab all at once. Shepard smothered a snort. Well, he might be a little goofy, but he was a nice guy, wasn't he?

"Just gotta warn you, my turian really is brand-new. Got him yesterday. Friendly, though. Not aggressive."

"Sure, no problem. I love the little guys."

#

Garrus started keening before she'd even gotten the door open. Once she did, he immediately took all her personal space, nuzzling and touching her neck, her arms, her face; it seemed he had to assure himself she was really there.

"Affectionate little guy," Charles said, and Garrus stiffened.

"Easy, Garrus. This is my friend, okay?"

Garrus growled softly over her shoulder, eyes locked on Charles's face. Kate poked him in the chest-plate.

"Hey! No, sir. Be nice."

Garrus ducked his head, tags jingling.

"Aw, it's okay, buddy," Charles said, patting him on the shoulder. Garrus gave Shepard one of his Looks. _Come on, let me bite him. Just a little. I won't really hurt him. Much._

Kate scratched under Garrus's fringe to relax him. She had gotten that far in the book, at least; far enough to know that most turians melted when you scratched there.

Garrus was no exception. He closed his eyes and purred, willing to ignore the strange new human she'd brought home as long as she kept doing that.

"Let's go in," Kate said. "Dinner time, big guy, you hungry?" She stepped through the door, Garrus following along with his eyes still half-closed.

"_I_ could eat _something,"_ Charles joked, letting his hand graze her ass. Kate smirked. About damn time. For what she'd paid for the stupid dress, she expected him to grab her ass long before then.

"Little presumptuous. I thought I only invited you here for drinks?" She softened her words with a flirty wink then walked into the kitchen.

She pointed Charles to the small bar to fix drinks, and then poured Garrus a bowl of his Shredded Meat, or whatever it was called. When she bent to set it on the floor, Charles whistled appreciatively.

"It's a sad day when the bouncers look so much nicer than the dancers," he sighed.

"Oh, please. You've seen what you look like. So, do I get a private dance? I brought you home."

"Hey, hey, don't abuse the dancers. Besides, I got the impression you wanted to take it slower than that." He handed her a drink, and Kate took a sip, surprised at the taste. She didn't even know she had mixers.

"Take it slow, then," she agreed.

#

An hour later, Kate was pinned under Charles on the couch.

_So much for slow._ Although, to be fair, he was doing a very slow and thorough job of getting her warmed up. He stopped abruptly, sitting up.

"What's wrong?" she asked. He pointed, and she noticed Garrus, sitting with his face approximately three inches from hers.

"He, uh. Keeps growling in my ear."

"Garrus, no! Bad." She glared, but he ignored her, keeping his intense stare fixed on Charles. "He must think he needs to be alert in case you try something."

"I _was_ trying," Charles muttered, flopping back onto the couch.

Kate grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's take it to the bedroom." A little fast, maybe, but she liked him, and he had been asking her out for a while. Plus, the clock had struck drunk o'clock; nothing seemed like a bad idea anymore.

They closed the door behind them, locking the turian out. Charles grabbed her, and they moved in the general direction of the bed, each trying to get undressed without breaking the kiss.

"Nice," he moaned once she'd discarded the bra. They fell onto the bed, all hands and heat and—

_Thump!_

"The hell?" Charles asked. He was kneeling over her, looking at the door.

"Don't worry about it." She turned away to shout. "Garrus! Knock it off!"

Charles grimaced. "Does he maybe have a crate or something?"

_Thump!_

"I'm sure he'll settle down in a minute, once he sees I'm not—"

Garrus burst through the door, snarling. Kate jumped up, pushing Charles off the bed and snatching Garrus's collar before he could attack.

"Garrus, no. Garrus, down!"

Charles gave a startled yelp as he hit the ground, then he started grabbing as much of his clothing as he could and scrambling away. Kate struggled to hold onto the collar for only a moment before Garrus calmed; Charles's backside disappeared from view as he fled the bedroom.

"Garrus, stay!" Kate snapped, chasing Charles into the living room. "Hey, Charles, I'm sorry. Let me just put him in the bathroom—"

"Are you out of your mind? You need to get that thing trained. It's aggressive." He hopped on one foot, nearly falling as he fought to force one of Kate's sneakers on the other foot. He finally dropped the shoe.

"He's not going to hurt you." Shepard planted her hands on her hips. She gestured at herself. _Seriously? Panties. Nothing else. He can't really be racing out the door._

"I'm not staying to find out. Forget this shit." He slammed the door as he left. Kate slowly turned, to give Garrus her death-stare.

He hid behind the bedroom door.

"Garrus, get out here." She waited while he slunk towards her, avoiding her gaze. "What do you think you're doing? You can't threaten guests."

His mandibles flicked, and he chuffed like a sullen teengaer; he appeared to have a different definition for "guests." She rubbed her face, trying to get rid of the headache brewing.

"You're taking a class. You can't be doing that when I have people over." She'd find a class on her lunch break tomorrow, she decided. For now, she might as well to bed.

"You just had to ruin it before I got any, didn't you?" She punched her pillow, flung the blankets around, kicking them until she was comfortable. "Stupid … untrained …." She fell asleep the moment she was settled, the night of drinking hitting her harder now that the fun part was over. She snored softly as Garrus climbed up on the bed, claiming his spot next to her.

#

Kate shifted in her sleep, moaning.

"_Change your mind?" she asked._

"_Wasn't going to give up that easily." Charles wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back tight against his chest. He nuzzled her neck, growling softly into her spine and sending shivers all the way to her core. Almost-sharp mouthplates nipped a little—_

_Wait._

Kate opened her eyes, to find Garrus snuggled up behind her. _Dammit. _ One taloned hand started to slide up toward her breast, and she slapped it away, wriggling out of his arms.

"The hell?" Kate scrambled to her feet and glared, but Garrus only looked confused. "You're getting a little personal, big guy."

Shit, maybe she _did_ need to get him fixed. She knew a dog would hump the furniture, its owner's legs, and anything else it could reach, but a turian … Garrus was _big._ Way bigger than she was. If she couldn't explain it to him she could end up seriously hurt.

"Garrus. Not appropriate." She wagged her finger at him, but he just kept gazing at her, seeming not to understand this time. Shepard sighed before deciding to call into work. They could find someone else to discourage the mostly-female patrons from getting too handsy with the dancers. She needed to take him to a class _now_.

#

Shepard tugged gently on the leash; Garrus seemed hesitant to go into the pet store where the training class was being held. He looked at her, a picture of misery; his browplates furrowed in imitation of grief and his mandibles hung so low they might have been broken.

"It's not a big deal, buddy. I'm not taking you to your execution, you know; it's just a class. Just keep quiet, we'll figure out some tips, and then we'll go straight home, alright?"

Garrus didn't look reassured, but when she tugged again on the leash, he followed her into the building. One quiet whine escaped him, but she arched an eyebrow at him, and he stopped. She hoped he remembered her warning in there.

"This is an outrage!"

Garrus flinched back from the screamer, and Kate threw a dirty look towards the old guy with the turian as she shuffled hers away from the scene.

"I prepaid for six weeks! Sparty is in this class!"

"Sir, I'm sorry, but we have no record of that." The asari smiled, that cool customer service smile that never reached the eyes, and a moment later she disappeared from view as Kate led her trembling turian to the back of the store.

"It's okay, big guy, it's okay," she soothed. She found the circle of plastic chairs that she guessed must be for the class. Several other people mingled, sitting down or finding seats as they chatted. Each kept a leashed turian, either at their feet or following close. Shepard ended up sitting next to an asari dressed as one of the acolytes from the Consort's Chambers.

"Oh, he's a big guy," the asari said. Her turian looked Garrus up and down before snorting and turning away. The asari shrugged. "Septimus doesn't listen to anyone but Sha'ira. That's why she had me bring him. Is yours friendly?"

Garrus flinched away from the hand she offered.

"He's still just a little timid," Shepard explained, keeping a hand on Garrus. Septimus pulled at his light chain as he tried to examine every turian in the circle. His shoulders and mandibles were relaxed; he wasn't threatening or starting fights, but staring intensely at each new arrival. Kate wondered why, but dropped the thought as the trainer started talking.

"Okay _ksssh _people. _ksssh _We're starting." The volus waddled to the center of the circle, and Kate's eye widened at the size of the turian he brought with him. _Well, he must be good at training them, or he'd be torn apart._ His turian sat down behind him, not pulling at his choke collar or making eye contact with anyone. It hunched its shoulders, and Kate felt a twinge of uneasiness.

"Now, first _ksssh _we're going to go over _ksssh _establishing dominance. These are _ksssh _very big animals –"

"Hey. Speaking of big animals," the asari whispered.

"Look at these _ksssh_ teeth! He could _ksssh _bite me in half. If he _ksssh _wanted to. Except _ksssh_ he knows I'm in charge. _ksssh_ Cannot let them _ksssh _get away with anything."

"What about them?" Kate whispered back, struggling to follow the volus's wheezed instructions. She didn't want to seem rude, but the talkative asari was going to make her miss the important part, she was sure. Although, so far, it looked like a bunch of heavy chains and corporal discipline. Her stomach twisted as the volus wrenched open his turian's mouth to show off his teeth. This didn't seem right at all.

"You keep your turian's crotch intact?"

Kate froze, and sitting at her feet, Garrus tensed. "What?" she replied in a strangled whisper.

Her eyes remained locked straight ahead, and she saw the trainer yank hard on his turian's chain and choke collar, supposedly to show who was boss.

"See, Joram. _ksssh _This is why you listen."

"I mean, if he's already fixed, they have … other talents, too. Just look at their tongues. Just don't use the peanut butter trick," the asari explained.

Garrus's eyes flicked between Shepard and the asari anxiously, while Septimus's mandibles pulled in. The acolyte caught Shepard's glance and laughed.

"Oh, not this turian. I told you, he won't obey me. But yours looks much more … obedient." She reached out to stroke Garrus's face, and he started to pull away again. Then he glanced over to the trainer and shifted to keep his leash slack, though he shuddered at the asari's touch. This class was no good for him, Kate decided.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she told the asari. She signaled to Garrus they were leaving, but the asari grabbed her arm, hard, before she could stand. Kate glared but couldn't shake her grip. Across the room, the volus trainer tried to get her attention; beside her, Garrus danced from foot to foot, ready to run.

"Excuse me, Miss. _ksssh_ Can never let them _ksssh _stand over you like that. If you're _ksssh _sitting, he needs to be _ksssh _sitting on the floor."

"Here, use this," the asari said. She punched a couple words into Kate's omni-tool before explaining. "It's a dextro-based edible, but it won't burn your azure. That way, he doesn't get sick after, and you don't have any side effects. It's expensive, but more than worth it."

"Miss! _ksssh _Need to make him _ksssh _sit down! Now."

"I need a cigarette," Shepard shouted. Her face burned as she fled the training group. Since the trainer's demonstration, Garrus didn't pull on the leash, instead keeping so close she felt they might as well be sewn together.

Why on Earth had that disturbing woman picked her to talk to? Who would even want a pet to— Kate shuddered.

Garrus pressed his forehead against the front of the building, trembling and making quiet whistling noises that Kate interpreted as self-comfort. No wonder he hadn't wanted to go in, with people like that sadistic trainer and pervert asari there abusing turians.

"Hey, big guy. Want to hear a secret?"

Garrus raised his face to look at her, his expression so miserable and terrified that she made herself a promise to never to take him to an official class again. She'd find something on the extranet, and she'd train him without hitting him or using chains. _Or any kind of dextro peanut butter, gross._

"I don't really smoke, Garrus. I just said that so we could go home."

His mandibles spread wide in obvious relief, and he nuzzled her shoulder. She patted his fringe.

"It's okay, big guy, you can relax now. No one's gonna hit you or ... anything else." Kate cleared her throat. "Ready to go home?"

Garrus bumped her shoulder with his forehead and they jogged back to her apartment, Kate gently telling him "No pull," every time he started to drag her. Each time, he'd slow a bit, trying not to pull at the leash until he forgot again. Shepard smiled, knowing that there was no reason to ever put him through an ordeal like that again.

#

Electric shock collar, guaranteed to work with no pain!

_Uh, no. That looks like something the batarians use on their sex-slaves, that they totally don't have on account of it being illegal. _Shepard closed that page and glanced at the next one.

Herbal remedy, just a few drops on your turian's tongue, and he's rumbling on your couch contentedly.

_Maybe there's an option to _not _have a high-as-balls turian just tripping on my couch._ Click, click. Not interested.

Learn to communicate with your turian!

"Well, that might work," Kate muttered. She opened the page and skimmed through it. Apparently, the clicks and whistles in unaltered domesticated turians were a holdover from a proto-language that the turians used to have. Not as sophisticated as dolphins' languages back on Earth, but you could train your turian to recognize and respond simply to most of your phrasings.

Kate turned to where Garrus lay sprawled across the couch, gnawing on some kind of meat bone thing. "What do you think, Garrus? Want to learn to talk with me a little?"

Garrus gave her another one of his loaded looks, and she grinned. This one said clearly that he was talking; she just wasn't listening.

"Okay, okay. I'll buy it, then I'll know what my smart boy is saying all the time." She scratched under his chin, and he crooned, eyes closing. Kate realized then that he "talked" quite a bit. He usually made a purring noise into his food, he often clicked or whistled at her when he was content. Hmm. Shepard hadn't really noticed before, but then he'd only been here what, two days? She gave her omni-tool permission to buy and start downloading the program. In just a few minutes, she'd know what all those chirps and soft growls meant. _And if you also buy the X-ray specs, you'll be able to see the ladies' underwear through their clothes._

She laughed at herself. Of course the gimmick wouldn't work; maybe the program's design let it read tone, but she knew she wasn't going to get meaningful conversation out of Garrus, a pet. Still, it'd be fun to play with for a bit until the "translations" became repetitive and lost their charm.

#

Ten minutes later, she started programming the new download to her specifications. It asked approximately a thousand questions and she gave up setting it halfway through. Other than knowing what language she preferred, it could mind its own damn business.

"Okay, let's see if this thing does anything."

Garrus stared at her from his position in front of the couch, for once utterly silent.

"Well, come on, you have to say something for me to know if it works at all."

Garrus shifted, moving his jaw noiselessly.

"Don't be shy, buddy, this thing is supposed to tell me what you're saying all the time."

Finally, Garrus let loose a stream of chirps, grumbles, and whistles, which the translator dutifully morphed into Kate's native tongue. She had been fully expecting a pre-recorded list, consisting of things like "I'm hungry," "Let's go for a walk now," or "I love you, Mommy."

"What would you like me to say, Mistress?" he had asked instead.

_No. No, that did not just happen._ Kate had misheard him; he said something else, anything else. He did not just answer appropriately to what she had said. No, no, no. Her hands clenched into fists where they rested on her thighs and she sat, otherwise immobile and unable to answer, until he spoke again.

"Is it working, Mistress? Can you understand me now?"


	3. Pet

Chapter Three

_Pet_

Now it was Kate's mouth that moved without working. He can talk? He can actually fucking talk?

_Parlor trick. Just like parrots. He can't— I mean, he can't really be—_

"Garrus?" she whispered.

"Yes, Mistress?" He fixed her with his bright, inquisitive gaze, and Shepard remembered how he seemed to be listening the past few days, anticipating her. He even used the damn toilet, for Christ's sake. What if he was intelligent? Her stomach started to roll uncomfortably.

"Garrus, when you picked your name out of the book, you read it?"

"Yes, Mistress. I can't read much, but I know how to spell my name in your script."

"You can spell?" Kate had a sudden urge to destroy the translation program, rip it out of the omni-tool. Or smash the omni-tool, if she couldn't stop the translator fast enough.

"Yes, Mistress. G-A-R—"

"Stop it."

Garrus felt silent, hanging his head. Shepard needed to think. Her hands crept, unbidden, to her head, which started pounding away like it wanted to break a door down in her mind. What the fuck was she supposed to do now?

"Who taught you to read your name?"

"My mother. She was teaching me more, but then the breeder sold me."

Oh, god, breeders. Turians were an intelligent people, and they were being _bred._ And sold. And—

Her stomach shifted again. She needed to stop now, pretend this wasn't real; kill the translator program, if she had to, before she ended up tossing her cookies.

"Garrus, that asari woman at the pet store? And the thing you started to do last night?" Her face burned. She couldn't finish the question. Garrus seemed to understand anyway.

"She's like my old mistress," he explained. His voice stayed low, overlaid with something she couldn't quite read. Regret? Shame?

"And, last night? Why would you …?"

"I was trained to make Mistress happy. I want to make Mistress happy. I've never had such a good mistress before."

That was it for her stomach; Shepard bolted for the bathroom, barely reaching the toilet before she started throwing up what seemed to be every meal she'd ever eaten. When it finally slowed, she realized Garrus was sitting just outside the bathroom doorway, whispering a stream of "I'm sorry"s and "Please forgive me, Mistress." At the realization, she retched again, but her stomach was empty.

"Stop it," she moaned, head still hanging over the toilet.

"I'm—yes, Mistress. But if you don't like that, I can do other things for you. I'm highly trained. My old mistress said I was the best pet she'd ever—"

Retch. Nothing. Oh, God, make it stop. "Garrus, please stop. You're not a …" She forced herself to say it. "You're not my sex slave. Don't do those things to me, okay?"

"But, Mistress!"

Shepard risked moving her head and saw the terror on his face.

"Mistress, please don't sell me. I'll learn to do other things, whatever you want." He crawled forward, keeping his head lower than hers. To show submission? Probably, she guessed. He lay prostrate on the floor, whimpering into her legs and with his arms wrapped around her waist.

"Please, Mistress, don't sell me, don't get rid of me. I'll be good, I promise I can make you like me, please—"

"Garrus." She put her hand on his cowl. "Garrus, come on. I wouldn't just throw you out. Just … let's get up, okay?"

Garrus shot to his feet so he could help her up. She wanted to pull away, but he was quaking with fear. From what he said, he thought that she was going to get rid of him. That she didn't like him, so she would sell him to someone else.

_Someone like that asari bitch._ Kate shuddered. Then she remembered that the asari already had at least one turian at her mercy.

"We have to do something," Shepard said, collapsing onto the couch.

"I'll do whatever you want, Mistress," he answered immediately. He settled on the floor at her feet, gazing at her.

"Okay, first of all, you have to stop that. Stop calling me 'Mistress' and sit on the couch with me."

Garrus dropped his head, eyes flicking between her and the floor, not moving until she glared. Once she did, he scrambled to the couch, and she felt like shit again. She was giving him orders and expecting him to comply; wasn't she acting like his mistress?

"Garrus—"

"I'm sorry, Mistress, I won't hesitate again. I'll be obedient. I promise."

The desperation in his voice was killing her.

"Look, no one is going to hurt you. And you can stay here. But I'm not your mistress, okay? You're your own person."

Garrus turned his head, looking down at the floor. He chirped softly to himself, occasionally shaking his head and making the tags on his collar jingle. He clearly didn't understand.

Suddenly, Kate was angry. Someone did this to him. To all of them. She lunged toward him, and he only closed his eyes. He didn't even flinch, made no move to stop her as she unbuckled his collar. A glance at his talons showed that he could easily kill her if he wanted. Even if she hurt him, though, she suspected he would never defend himself. She threw the collar on the ground.

"Mistress," he whined.

"No. You are not a pet. Do you get me?"

"I … I have to go back to sleeping outside and eating out of garbage cans?"

"No, just …." She dropped her face into her hands. It wasn't fair. This was too hard. Why her? "Just, do what you want. You can live here. We'll figure something out. We have to make everyone realize your people aren't dumb animals." One hand moved from covering her face to rub at her temple.

"I can do what I want?" he asked.

"Yes."

Immediately, he picked up the collar and started putting it around his neck.

"Except that," she snapped. "Put it down. Put it on the table. You're not wearing that. You're not a pet."

"When we go outside, someone will take me away if I don't wear my tags, Mistress."

Shepard glowered. "Then you can wear it outside, as a costume only."

Garrus relinquished the collar, although his mandibles sagged. "Mistress, do you have a headache?"

Shepard began rubbing both temples as her stomach started to rumble dark threats. She didn't want to start retching again. "Yes, Garrus. I have a headache, and I probably need to eat something soon."

"And I can do what I want?"

"Yes, Garrus. Just as long as it's not acting like a pet, you can do what you want." The couch bounced as he got up and bounded to the kitchen. A moment later he returned with a box of crackers for her.

"Thank you." She dug into them gratefully. Once she was distracted with the food, he slid in behind her on the couch, rubbing gentle circles on her neck; he didn't even nick her with his talons.

"Garrus, wait—"

"You said do what I want. I want to help your headache."

Kate gave up, relaxing into the touch. _It's just a massage. You're not forcing him to do it._ Her headache started to clear up as he worked the tension out of her neck and shoulders.

"That feels good," she moaned.

"Headache better?"

A wry smile crossed her face for a moment; Garrus had paused while speaking, again. She guessed he kept catching himself trying to call her "Mistress."

"Much better," she agreed.

He eased her back against his chest, the gentleness of his movements a wonderful contrast to the roughness of his skin as the massage moved to her arms.

Kate sighed, enjoying the simple comfort of being petted while she felt sick. Her nausea disappeared, and she had mostly forgotten what had upset her. His hands rested on her waist as he started nuzzling her neck. Shepard stiffened, realizing that something _else_ had stiffened and pressed against her lower back.

"Garrus, stop." She tried to say it firmly.

"You said to do whatever I want," he returned before licking her behind the ear.

She shivered. "Not … not this," she managed. "I get a say in what I do, and I say 'no.'"

Garrus's hands stopped moving. "Mistress doesn't … Mistress doesn't want me at all?" he asked.

_Yes._ "No. This isn't right like this. I think I need to go to sleep now." She got up, and he didn't try to keep her.

"Mistress will make me sleep on the floor?" His fingertips picked at each other anxiously.

Kate sighed. "No, Garrus, I won't make you sleep on the floor."

Garrus's mandibles spread wide. "I sleep on the bed?"

"Fine. Just … no more surprises like last night. Got it? I've said 'no,' and I know you understand me, so you can't do that."

Garrus nodded enthusiastically. "Mistress said no, I understand." He rushed by her to claim his spot on the bed before she changed her mind. "I will please Mistress when she's ready," he added. Shepard stared at the translator, convinced he hadn't really said that. She really needed to explain that better. If he still thought that ….

_He's not going to get it all at once. We'll work on it more tomorrow._ Yes, tomorrow. Somehow, she needed to undo Garrus's programming and figure out how to get the turian species recognized as a sapient race, tomorrow.

#

"Fuck!"

Garrus scrambled off the couch as Kate stormed through the door, throwing her jacket down.

"I'm sorry, Mistress, I didn't—"

"Garrus, I'm not yelling at you, you're fine."

"What's wrong?" Garrus shifted closer to her, his hand hovering but not quite petting her. Well, at least he'd learned not to touch her constantly over the last couple of weeks.

"How are your letters?" she asked instead of answering his question.

Garrus picked up his workbook to show her. "I can read all of them, but I can't write all of them yet."

"Good, good." She flipped through the book, examining his penmanship. He'd been working on it since she discovered his sapience, impressing her with his progress. They ran into some weird translation issues, since he spoke his language, but only wrote in hers; for the most part, however, things went well on the education front. And he started to learn to assert himself and that he didn't have to please her at every moment. He even stopped calling her "Mistress," most of the time. Everything started to come together.

"Tell me what's wrong?" he asked.

Except her project.

"I failed," she muttered. "Can't get an appointment with the Council, and every university I managed to contact about turian intelligence laughed me off the communicator. No one will believe me." She sank down on the couch.

Garrus sat down next to her and put his arm around her. "It's okay. It's not that important."

Kate flung his arm off her and jumped up to attack the liquor cabinet. "It is, though. Every single turian is just—how can you not—"

"I'm happy where I am." Garrus shrugged, a gesture he'd picked up from her recently.

Kate considered the whiskey glass a moment, the effort involved in pouring a glass, drinking, then pouring again, before deciding to just drink out of the bottle. "You drink? I've got some dextro stuff here. I keep it for Tali."

"Tali is your quarian friend?"

"Yes. Daughter of Admiral— Oh, shit." Her eyes went wide as she realized.

"Mistr—uh, Miss Shepard? Did you think of something?"

"Tali!" Kate shouted into her omni-tool.

Tali answered after only a moment. _"Keelah, what? Are you ready to tell me about your secret project yet?"_

"Yes. I mean, no. Look, I need to speak to the Council. I can't get in. Can your dad?"

"_Oh, Kate … I don't know. I mean, we're barely allowed an embassy, since the Morning War … if we start bringing up any issue someone—"_

"Tali, this is important. I have never asked for anything like this before." Shepard swallowed hard. Normally, she didn't even ask for things, she just told people what was going to happen. The last couple of weeks, she'd been begging everyone to just _listen_ to her about this. Her eyes relaxed and unfocused; she didn't even see how the tension in Garrus's posture as he stood in front of her. Tali paused for a long moment, and Shepard waited for her answer.

"_All right. If it's important, I'll manage something."_

"Thank you, Tali."

"Mistr—um, Shepard? Will you be able to talk to the Council, then?"

"Yes. We're going to go to the Council, and after I explain my case, you'll talk to them. You're going to be free." She threw her arms around him. She could fix this.

When she drew back, Garrus didn't let her go. He stroked her hair gently, one hand still on her waist.

_Oh, shit. He doesn't still think he has to make his Mistress feel good, does he?_

"After … after I'm free, Mi—" He paused, swallowing hard before continuing. "Kate. I do want you. You said I can't know what I want, but I do."

Shepard smiled. Apparently, she'd finally managed to explain to him the concept of not be able to make these kinds of decisions as a brainwashed slave, even if he didn't agree in principle.

"You know what? Once you're free, if you wanna ask me out, I won't stop you."

Garrus's mandibles spread wide in a grin. His forehead came to rest gently on hers.

A moment later, Kate's omni-tool beeped; she played the message Tali had left.

"_Tomorrow. Ten in the morning. I hope it's worth it, Kate."_

#

"Remember, don't say anything until I tell you to. If you start talking early, they'll just get distracted by the unaltered turian and forget to listen. Got it?" In the short walk to the Council chambers, she went over the plan again, making certain he understood fully.

"You've explained it three times," Garrus grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Kate smiled to herself. He made his first fledgling forays into independence once the translation program worked, testing his boundaries, making small decisions; now he really showed less of his brainwashed attitude, though. Once she arranged the meeting, he seemed to accept that she was going to be able to free him. Free all of them. "There's Tali. Keep it down," she muttered.

Tali was clearly agitated, fidgeting as she approached. "I really do not know about this. Are you sure you cannot tell me what is going on? Maybe I could help more—"

Kate flopped down onto a bench. "You'll find out in a minute. Is your father—" She stopped asking as a group of quarians walked by, faceless behind their exosuits. Tali yanked her to her feet to follow them. Garrus stuck right to her heels, so Shepard motioned for him to drop back a few steps; they weren't going to be happy about a turian in the council room anyway, so they might as well keep him as out-of-sight as possible.

"What is this meeting about?" Tevos asked before the quarian-and-Kate party could get settled. The salarian councilor on her left looked limpidly at the group before them, and the batarian councilor on her right glared at Garrus.

Rael'Zorah turned to his daughter Tali, and Tali in turn looked to Shepard.

_No pressure. Just the fate of an entire sapient race on your shoulders. _Kate stepped forward and cleared her throat. Shit, she wasn't a public speaker. "Council … members. Um. I have an important … Look, the thing is …." She felt her face flushing as she realized that this was going terribly. Tali groaned, and Kate realized her mistake. If this made the quarians look bad, Tali was going to be pissed. Why had they let her call this meeting?

The batarian councilor Boer snarled. "If you have something to say, human, spit it out. We've very busy."

The Councilors turned their glares on Rael'Zorah, who began apologizing for the waste of time. Tali took Kate's arm and tried to pull her away before she could make it any worse.

"Head Councilor Tevos!" Kate shouted. The room froze for a moment. Kate licked her lips. _Now or never._ "Councilors, turians have had a great injustice perpetrated against them. They are an intelligent race that has been unjustly enslaved for ages."

"Oh, Keelah, no," Tali moaned; her friend had obviously lost her mind.

Kate Shepard ignored Tali entirely, too preoccupied with the tableau in front of her.

When she had spoken, Tevos's eyes first went wide, then flashed to the batarian councilor. Now, Tevos had fallen back half a step, waiting for Boer to speak. Boer, from the Batarian Hegemony. Which had agreed to stop its practice of slavery when it joined the Council races, but kept a _lot_ of turian pets.

_You've got to be fucking kidding me. That can't be what this is._

Boer spoke quietly to Tevos, who nodded before addressing Shepard.

"We do not have time to listen to such ridiculous conspiracy theories. Rael'Zorah, please stay. We wish to discuss appropriate uses of the Council's time. The rest of you are dismissed."

"Get her out of here," Rael hissed to Tali.

Kate tried to struggle, but couldn't quite manage it; her arms felt too heavy to lift, and it just seemed easier to move where Tali propelled her.

Boer had not been surprised at what she'd tried to tell them. The salarian councilor looked embarrassed and studied something across the room rather than look at any of them. And Tevos looked flustered; they already knew.

They all fucking knew and they were keeping turians as slaves on purpose.

"Keelah, I cannot believe you did this to me! I thought we were friends, why would you do this to me, to my people?" Tali asked, her voice strained and near tears. They couldn't really lose their embassy over something like this, could they?

Could they? Kate's stomach started doing zero-G barrel rolls.

"Tali, it's true, I swear. You have to believe me. Garrus_—_"

"Believe you? Kate, sweetie, you have to get some help." Tali placed a hand on Kate's shoulder, her tone as smooth as if trying to talk down a jumper. "You think your turian is a person. Do you even realize how crazy that sounds? Go home, Kate. Get some rest. See a therapist."

"Stop," Kate murmured. Garrus opened his mouth to speak; of course, Tali thought the command aimed at herr.

"Oh, fine. If you don't want to help yourself, there's nothing I can do. Call me when you're interested in getting better, Kate."

Garrus placed one hesitant hand on Kate's arm as Tali walked away. He closed his mouth when Shepard warned him, and he stayed quiet for the time being. Shepard imagined she could hear his thoughts. _You failed me,_ they said,_ just like you failed them._

_No, dammit. Garrus wouldn't even be thinking that. Get it together, Shepard, it's ancient history. Not even relevant anymore._ "Let's go," she said out loud. Her shoulder slumped, and Garrus tried to pet her again. She didn't want to be comforted, though, so she trudged away, letting him follow. "I have to get to work, anyway."

#

Kate Shepard glared at the krogan harassing the dancers, a solid brick wall of inappropriateness.

"Look, I'm not in the mood for this. You were already warned to keep your hands to yourself, since you can't manage that, get the fuck out." She had a limited supply of _nice_ at the best of times, and the past twenty-four hours didn't qualify. She had an enslaved turian at home and no way to get him recognized as a person.

"He was asking for it," the krogan growled. Nothing she said could budge him out of his seat in front of the stage. The object of his harassment, a drell dancer, had long since fled the stage.

_God save me from aggressive, gay krogan._

"I'm not gonna tell you again," Kate said, putting a hand on his shoulder to guide him towards the door.

_Oh, you stepped into it again, didn't you, Shepard?_

The krogan glowered at her, biotic blue glow appearing around him. She had a single moment to remember that krogan battlemasters were serious business before he charged. Pain exploded in her back as seven-hundred-plus kilos of angry lizard drove her into the stage, but a whole new hell overshadowed it as the krogan slammed her skull into the stage again and again. Kate barely saw the two asari bouncers hustling to save her from her own mistake; she should have grabbed them right away. You do _not_ mess with a battlemaster if you're not biotic.

As the asari pulled the krogan off her, Shepard realized she couldn't feel her body anymore; she had a vague sensation of drifting floorward. _Well, at least I'm the only one getting killed for this particular stupidity. That's an improvement._ At first, she embraced the pain, sprinting towards unconsciousness. Just before she blacked out, panic surged, barely noticeable as different parts of her body sent up alarms, reporting damage.

_Oh, shit, who's going to take care of Garrus while I'm out?_

#

Kate tried to bolt upright in bed the moment she awoke and immediately regretted it. Her teeth clamped down as she tried to ride the first wave of agony, relax into it, let it flow over her. Once she came to terms with that and the murderous agony faded to merely crippling pain, she did an appraisal. _Major bruising, some breaks in the ribs. Head feels broken, but it's gotta be fixed by now._

"Keelah, you're awake."

"Tali?"

Her friend was curled up in the hospital chair, suit rumpled; she'd clearly been keeping vigil for a while.

"I'm sorry. I should not have walked away. I think you need to speak to someone, Kate, you haven't been acting yourself."

"Fine, yeah. I'll do that. Garrus—"

"He's … safe. Just rest, all right? You can't get up yet." Tali started pressing the nurse button, the repeated clicks running together as she frantically tried to get someone in there. "You shouldn't even be awake yet. Keelah, you need sleep."

Shepard's eyes narrowed. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Please, Kate. Can't it wait until you're better? I told you, he's … safe."

"Why do you keep hesitating before the word 'safe?'" Kate growled; she watched as Tali wrung her hands.

Finally, Tali broke. "It wasn't my fault! I swear, I was just trying to watch him while you were gone, I promise!"

"What happened to him?" Kate asked, stomach sinking. _If anything's happened …._

"He …. After I got your animal, my father came over. When it started making noise, my father said he had to take it to get its voice fixed."

Shepard blanched. "He must have told you he was intelligent."

"Kate …." Tali hesitated before placing a gentle hand on Shepard's shoulder. "Kate, sweetie, he's a turian. They cannot talk."

_Fuck, of course. The translator is on my omni-tool._

"Where is he?" Kate sat up, moving slowly as she fought through the weight of the pain, like an oppressive blanket she just couldn't shake off. She struggled to get out of bed. Shepard turned a cold stare on her friend when her feet hit the ground, and Tali remained silent. "I am going to go get him now. Help me or we're done."

"I'll take you to the shelter," Tali said.

#

Garrus's eyes stared off in the distance when Kate picked him up from the shelter. She paid the fine and told Tali she'd meet her later, wanting to speak to Garrus alone as quickly as possible.

"Garrus, I didn't know. I was in the hospital. Garrus, I promise you, we can fix this." She knew her tone marked it as a lie. No one was going to illegally un-mute a turian on the Citadel. Even if she could find a doctor to do it, it would cost Hell's own money.

"Garrus, you can still write. We'll still find a way. It'll be okay."

Garrus gave no indication that he could understand her. He stuck close during the walk home, behaving like nothing more than a well-trained pet.

"Garrus, I'm _sorry._ It wasn't my fault."

That broke through his wall. His eyes widened, and he rushed over to nuzzle her. She could almost hear him telling her he didn't blame her, of course he didn't.

"Garrus, we'll think of something, I promise," Shepard said as they arrived home.

He stiffened and pulled away from her, and she pulled him back to take his collar and leash. Reaching up caused her injured ribs to start screaming, but she ignored them for the time being. She grabbed a notepad and thrust it into his hands. "Please, talk to me. Something. Anything."

Garrus looked at the notepad, then raised his eyes to hers. Kate's heart twisted at the grief in them. He let the notepad drop.

"Garrus, dammit, I know you can read and write." She reached down, grimacing and trying not to move her torso—_good luck with that, Kate_—to grab the notepad. She could still fix this. She just needed him to work with her. "I taught you. We can figure something out—" She stopped cold. While she reached for the notepad, Garrus picked up his collar from its hook by the door.

Kate shook her head. Her eyes burned and threatened to spill. "Don't you dare. You can't go backwards. You can't give up."

Garrus looked at her steadily as he buckled the collar around his neck, his intent clear.

"You are not a pet, dammit!"

Garrus started to walk away. Kate grabbed his arm, trying to think of the right words. Something had to convince him that he didn't have to be a pet just because he could no longer speak.

Garrus's head bumped her shoulder; not one of his new gestures he'd picked up, but one of the old ones he used when he communicated as an animal. Shepard's shoulders slumped, and she plodded to the kitchen to pour him a bowl of his Shredded Meat. How could she convince him? If he insisted on pretending he couldn't even understand her, what could she possibly do to change his mind?


	4. Turian Surprise

Chapter Four

_Turian Surprise_

Kate took the next few weeks off from work. No matter how many medical advances they managed, broken ribs always, and would always, hurt like a motherfucker. Everything hurt; bending, reaching, sleeping. _Sneezing._ Dear God, sneezing. Garrus had nuzzled her face this morning, pushing some of her hair into her nose. She'd remember the resulting sneeze for the rest of her life. She very nearly screamed, and while she tried to ride the pain out, Garrus sat a few feet away, looking concerned but showing no other indication of intelligence. He kept the expression he had been using since she'd gotten him home; slightly blank, slightly cow-like.

_Shit, even dogs look smarter than that._

Kate spent her time off—when she wasn't accommodating her ribs or cursing them their miserable existence—trying to catch Garrus off-guard in an act of intelligence. So far, no dice. If she spoke to him, expecting him to acknowledge, he ignored her completely or looked at her blankly and then nudged her hand. If she handed him the notebook, he dropped it as though he didn't even know how to hold things. It was maddening.

"Hey, you want to give me a hand, big guy?" Kate stared up at the cabinet. She kept box of cookies on the top damn shelf. Ordinarily, it would just make her think about whether she really wanted cookies before she stretched to reach them. Now, however, they were out of the question until she either healed up, or someone was willing to help her. She hadn't spoken to Tali in weeks, so that left Garrus as the only option.

Garrus came to the doorway and looked at her.

"The cookies. Help me?" She pointed, elbow tucked in to her side, careful not to move any more than absolutely necessary.

His blank stare remained so consistent, every day, that Kate began to think she dreamed it all up. He never faltered, never forgot and admitted he could understand her. In fact, he acted so completely like a pet that she started to forget that he ever hadn't.

Except for the collar.

After he fell asleep the first night, she took it off him and hid it. The next morning, he put it on again before she woke up. Later she traded his lunch for the collar, refusing to give up the bowl until he allowed her to unbuckle the damn nylon and spirit it away. And by dinner, he found it and clipped it back around his neck. He never gave her any look, didn't write anything down, just kept finding the thing and wearing it, no matter how many times she took it, how many times she hid it. She tried every hiding place she could think of, but he always found the damn thing again. She had even tried hiding it inside the toilet tank, but he put it right back on, dripping water everywhere. Clean water, from the top of the tank, she kept reminding herself. Still. Too stubborn to give up, she realized. He was willing to play this game the rest of his natural life. Well, so was she.

"Fine," she growled, slamming the cabinet shut. Technically, she nudged the cabinet door with one finger, and it closed on its own; but the intent remained clear. She would have slammed it, if she had been able to. "Guess I don't want any cookies. Guess I'll go to sleep cranky and hungry, knowing you could have helped me out, but refused."

Garrus's expression didn't change, but she felt like she was getting closer. She'd get him eventually. She would win this.

Kate headed for the bathroom, her normal five minute, before-bed routine now taking half an hour and leaving her sweating and pale by the time she fought her way into pajamas and lay down to sleep. _Couple more weeks. Couple more weeks, and the ribs will be back to normal._ Garrus crawled into bed beside her, careful to stay on his half of the blankets. At some point in the night, he would end up closer, with one hand thrown over her hip, or his face nuzzling into her shoulder, but he was careful to stay off her ribs.

_Like a damn pet would be able to figure that one out. If he was serious about this, he'd have "accidentally" smacked me in the ribs a few times. Amateur._ Oh, she was going to win this. Another few weeks, and he'd be writing in his notebook again. Then she would figure out how to expose the Council's dirty little secret about what they were letting the batarians get away with. Kate kicked at the blankets without moving the rest of her body. She preferred sleeping with blankets on, but it was too much trouble to get settled into them; too much movement. Instead, she just kept it warmer than usual. Her eyes drifted closed as she thought of all the nasty little ways she was going to get back at the Council and Batarian Hegemony.

#

_Crash._

Kate opened her eyes. _Intruder. Living room. _She slid out from under Garrus's arm, draped over her neck, and crouched next to the bed. Pain blossomed and was quickly discarded. An intruder had broken in and she didn't have time for pain. She pulled the dresser drawer out to find her pistol and checked that for a fresh heat sink; ready. The weapon felt inadequate; only a small thing, not suitable for much besides self-defense.

_Better than nothing._ She crept to the bedroom door, not needing light to find her way through the apartment. The noise sounded like someone ran into the coffee table. She oriented herself that direction, hoping her eyes adjusted before she bumped right into the idiot robbing the place.

She needn't have worried. Before she could run into anyone, the intruder seized her hand, wrenching the pistol from it and wresting her forward and up. His fist slammed into stomach and pain flared, obliterating everything for the time being. All the air left her in a rush and she crumpled. The attacker took her weapon and Shepard was immobilized.

_Oh, you cunt-knocker ribs._ Behind her, she could hear Garrus stirring.

The pistol charged and she looked up, not able to see it but wanting to face her death anyway.

Kate could hear Garrus getting out of bed now. _Don't do it, Garrus. Not now. Just go hide._

Garrus reached the doorway and flipped the lights on. Kate caught a vague impression of several turians flinching back from the sudden brilliance. She squinted, trying to get a count. Three? Including Garrus? She started to formulate a plan of attack and tensed to jump the nearest one.

Then all hell broke loose.

#

Garrus bared his teeth in a silent snarl. He hesitated only a second before charging at the turian who held Kate's gun. That moment had not been fear or confusion, though, she noted; he slammed down the light switch before moving, leaving them all in utter darkness once more.

Shepard rolled away from her attacker, ignoring the protest, signed by at least six ribs, stating that they were not going to allow such frivolous movement. She did not want to get caught up in a turian wrestling match. She kept a rifle in the kitchen. If she could get to the kitchen, get the lights back on, she could stop this. She started crawling, hoping that the other turian she thought she saw was otherwise occupied.

He wasn't. Just before she reached the kitchen doorway, her hair was first snared and then yanked upward, leaving Kate no option but to follow it along, yelping once in pain. The lights came on again and Kate's eyes wrenched shut, watering. She had been looking right at them.

"Enough." A blue pulse went out across the room, knocking into Garrus and the turian he had been fighting. The bookshelf rocked as they slammed into it, then dumped its freight of paper books on them as they fell. Paper flew about the room, and bloody blue streaks ran down both their faces as they lay there panting.

"Control him." The turian holding her hair spoke to the other one, a turian with green eyes and elaborate white markings on his face.

_Paint?_ Kate wondered. She kept her eyes on Garrus. He looked a little woozy and held his bleeding head in one hand.

The painted turian dragged himself to his feet, shaking his head. "You've got the biotics. Maybe we should trade."

_A biotic turian. No shit._ She saw the blue flare a moment ago, of course, but hadn't quite processed what that meant. Plus, the biotic turian also seemed set on ripping her entire head of hair out by the roots; not exactly conducive to thinking.

"If you can't control him at all, he may need to be put down. We don't have sufficient numbers to waste any of us. So control him."

_Put down?_ Shepard's heart jumped into her throat, clogging it for a moment and stopping her speech. Garrus's hand fumbled, reaching for the shelf as he started to get up, murder in his eyes; she forced words out. "Garrus, relax. They're here to help you." She hoped she was right on that score. Either way, Garrus instantly became still, eyes locked on Kate. Thank God, he stopped pretending he couldn't understand her.

The painted turian looked surprised. "Saren, I don't think she's one of the—"

"She muted him, didn't she? On your knees, slaver scum." Saren let go of her hair, finally, and dropped her.

Kate landed on her hands and knees, staring at the floor while she tried to think of something. They were going to kill her, weren't they? _Slaver, he called me slaver. _

That son of a bitch. It wasn't her fault; she'd been trying. She'd done everything she could; she just needed more time. And for Garrus to cooperate. And maybe for someone in the Council to help.

Kate sat back on her heels. It was too late, though, wasn't it? These two intended to kill her and take Garrus. Well, maybe they could help him.

"Promise me you'll take care of him," she said.

"You don't speak!" Saren roared, cuffing her hard enough to knock her down. Her back arched so her ribs didn't hit the floor, but the movement was just as much of a mistake. The adrenaline wore off and her ribs were re-asserting their importance.

"That isn't necessary," the other one protested. He moved from Garrus's side to crouch by Kate. "Look, you downloaded the language program and a month later, your turian was mutilated. This looks bad, you understand? Can you explain what happened?"

"Nihlus, a word," Saren growled. He bent and pressed a few buttons on Kate's omni-tool, and when he spoke again to Nihlus, she couldn't understand him. Her eyes flicked back and forth between them, listening as the clicks and growls they traded became sharper, louder. Nihlus seemed calm, collected; even as Saren snarled into his face.

Shepard waited for a pause in the debate. "I was in the hospital, and they took his voice without my permission."

This sparked another round of debate, Saren gesturing wildly while Nihlus stood next to her prone form, arms crossed.

Finally, Saren seemed to lose a point, throwing his arms up in disgust. Nihlus bent to reset Kate's translator.

"Human," he said, not unkindly. "I need to ask. At any point, did you ever treat this turian as anything less than a person?"

"She's going to lie," Saren growled.

Kate opened her mouth, unsure of what she would say. She'd walked him on a leash. She fed him food from the pet store. But, she had also been teaching him to write. And she tried to tell the Council; they just wouldn't listen.

Before she decided how to answer, Garrus strode over and thrust a notebook into Nihlus's hands.

Nihlus chuffed, soft laughter with genuine humor in it, despite the situation. "Looks like it's not your decision, Saren. 'She treats me well don't hurt her.'" He handed the notebook over to Saren, who snarled and slapped it away. Pages flew as the notebook sailed across the room.

"I don't read that filth."

"But I do. And you know the rule. If he can make the decision, she's his to judge."

"That is not what the rule is for!" Saren stalked over to Nihlus, staring him down.

Garrus scrambled to pick the notebook up again, and scrawled one word across it, as carefully as he could manage, before holding it up to Saren and Nihlus.

MINE, it read, in huge, sprawling letters.

Saren breathed heavily, still arguing for her death. "He's obviously still mentally a slave. He can't possibly make this decision—"

"Until he's been deprogrammed, you are correct. But we'll make sure it's not made for him before then, either. Human, if we take you with us, rather than executing you, will you cause trouble?"

Kate shook her head, still lying on the floor. "No, no trouble. If you're helping turians, I want to help, too."

Nihlus extended a hand, pulling Kate to her feet. Garrus hurried to her the moment the strange turians decided she would live through today, wrapping his long arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck.

"Disgusting," Saren muttered.

"His choice," Nihlus replied.

Saren stepped close to Nihlus. Shepard couldn't see what he was doing, but when he stepped back, there was a clear streak through the blood; had he touched Nihlus's face? Why?

"It's on your hands, Kryik."

Nihlus's mandibles tightened, but he didn't say anything as Saren stalked out of the room, climbing out through the broken window.

Kate ran a hand through her short curls, eyes wide. "What was—"

Nihlus shook his head. He declined to answer that now; maybe she could ask again when Saren was out of earshot.

"You'd better gather some clothes and whatever else you need quickly, human. Saren isn't going to be happy to be kept waiting."

Kate nodded_._ "Gimme a minute," she grumbled, heading for the bedroom. Garrus was right on her heels. She didn't even bother asking him to wait; she knew he couldn't let her out of his sight just yet. His tags jingled, and she took the collar off of him.

"Last time," she told him. "You already proved you're not a pet, now. No more silent argument on it."

Garrus stared at her a moment, then nodded. Good. She dropped the collar on the bed before opening up her dresser.

_Shirts, pants, what else? _Shepard stuffed clothes nearly at random into an old backpack before shrugging into a pair of jeans and T-shirt. Then she sat on the bed for a moment, wondering why her hands trembled.

_Is this it? I'm leaving, maybe forever. Is this all I have to take with me?_ She had grown up Alliance, both parents. It meant moving a lot; she got used to not keeping a lot of stuff. Still, it seemed like there should be _something_ she wanted to bring. Something she couldn't live without.

"Human?" Nihlus called from the other room.

"Do I really not have any stuff worth keeping?" she asked herself.

"_Human!" _Nihlus yelled.

"Too late to worry about it now."

Garrus stared at her, muscles tight with tension.

"Let's go, big guy."

Nihlus made a heavy clicking sound, mandibles wide, as Shepard came back into the living room; she thought it sounded like exasperation.

"Take her bag," he told Garrus. Nihlus held an auto-inject medicine canister in his hand that Garrus could not look away from. Kate watched his worried face as she handed him her backpack.

_He's gonna flip his shit. _"Garrus? Big guy, look at me." It took a minute, but he finally tore his gaze away from Nihlus to glance at her. "Garrus, I'm going to take a little nap, okay? It's going to be fine. Listen to Nihlus, alright?"

Garrus's panicked eyes pleaded with her.

"We're not going to hurt her," Nihlus said. "But she can't go with us unless we knock her out."

Garrus's jaw worked; it might have been a whine, if he was capable of making any sound. Shepard and Nihlus waited until he nodded slowly before she stepped forward and lifted her hair off her neck, letting the canister inject her. Woozniess hit right away, swirling everything she saw into muddles of color. Nihlus started to pick her up but Garrus grabbed her first, shoving the painted turian away.

"Easy, Garrus, is okay," she slurred. _Don't fight,_ she tried to add, but already she stole away, her mind untethering as her eyes slipped shut.

#

"She's waking."

"Put her out again."

"We're almost there, Saren. She doesn't need to keep sleeping."

For a moment, Shepard tried to grasp at the dream images that flowed past, but they were quickly gone, replaced by a reality that matched any of her dreams, for weirdness. She sat wrapped in the arms of her sometimes-sapient pet turian, while another turian flew a small ship, and the painted one argued for her.

_Nihlus,_ she reminded herself. "So, where are we 'almost?'"

Saren growled slightly but spoke to Nihlus rather than answer her. "See? If she can't mind her business, she doesn't need to be awake."

"Unless you think she knows enough navigation to predict where we are from the stars that are visible, I think we're safe." Nihlus got out of his chair and squatted in front of Shepard. Garrus squeezed her tighter for a moment, as if afraid she was going to be taken away.

"It's okay, let me breathe." Kate patted his arms as she spoke, encouraging him to let her go. Of course, while pretending to be an animal for weeks he never managed to touch her ribs; now that he stopped pretending, the first thing he did involved crushing her to death.

Nihlus snapped his fingers twice in front of Kate's face, causing her to flinch back.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Just checking. You seemed to go down hard. Wasn't sure you'd be back with us. Or at least not so soon."

"Still on some medication for my ribs."

"Ribs?" Nihlus asked.

"Accident." She shrugged. He didn't really need a full explanation. Besides, forgetting that a krogan might be a battlemaster was a special kind of stupid she didn't want to advertise. She glanced around, trying to glean any detail she could from what she could see of the ship. It wasn't much. It didn't look any bigger than a surface skiff, but maybe there was more to it. Then again, maybe not. The small area behind the cockpit overflowed with crates; supplies or something. If the ship possessed a cargo hold, those shouldn't be here. She tried to stand up to get a better look out the front window, and Nihlus pushed her back down. Gently, without comment.

Without leaving her the feeling that she could argue it, either. She leaned back into Garrus's warmth to wait, letting him stroke her arms but shifting away when he tried to nuzzle.

Shepard kept her neck craned, barely able to see out the little window. Her jaw dropped when the ships came into view. "Holy shit, these are what turians build? They're _huge."_

"We don't actually build them," Nihlus explained. "We solicit help from—"

Then Saren was snarling again, and Nihlus quieted. Kate took her cue and didn't ask any more questions, although she did wonder how many turians might be aboard these things, and whether their opinions on humanity were more like Nihlus's or Saren's. Hopefully, plenty of them didn't hate her automatically.

_Although, if they're more like Saren, they're probably more likely to actually free the turians at some point. And who says I deserve kindness, after what I let happen to him?_

Kate tried not to think about that as Saren docked, then prowled by her to exit the ship. She spent a moment wondering how to get up without moving her chest, while still lying back against Garrus. Nihlus solved the problem when he stood in front of her and held out a hand. He helped pull her to her feet, but held onto her until she looked up at him. His green eyes burned as he shook her hand.

"Welcome to the Resistance."


	5. Trial

Chapter Five

_Trial_

Shepard followed Nihlus as he led her and Garrus onto the largest ship she'd ever seen. She caught the briefest glimpse of the rest of the ships from the window on the shuttle, and this one appeared to be only the flagship of a massive fleet. Not as big a fleet as the batarians or asari had, but much bigger than what the Alliance could pull together. She peered through the port in the decontamination door as she waited, trying to get a feel for the place. Very stark, she decided. Little time or money wasted trying to make it look pretty; everywhere just ugly, bare metal, and the hall looked barely big enough for a turian to be able to walk comfortably. She nodded. It's the way she would do it, were she in charge of this kind of thing. Not that she should be in charge of _anything._ The record of her own brief stint in the Alliance showed that.

"Nihlus!" A slim turian with cobalt facial markings rushed forward the moment Nihlus was through the decontamination, and Garrus grabbed Kate's arm, insecure. The lack of a prominent crest marked the new turian as female; Kate didn't know any female turians, but she still felt as though she knew her. Uneasiness wriggled in Kate's stomach as she analyzed female turian. Garrus still held her arm in a death-grip, and neither had left the decontamination chamber as Nihlus and the new turian exchanged greetings.

_You haven't met her. How could you know her? _Kate took in the casual uniform, the weapon holstered on the turian's hip. She hardly knew any pet turians, and for non-pets, she only knew Saren and Nihlus. This one was slighter, weighed less. Obviously female. Still, she almost recognized her; the tilt of the mandibles, the ice-blue eyes; she seemed so familiar. Kate's legs went watery once she figured it out.

It was Garrus's sister who embraced Nihlus.

"Did you find him? Is he alright?" Her mandibles flashed out once before she regained control.

_Admirable,_ Shepard thought. Garrus's sister showed concern about him, but stayed strong; Kate wondered if she held any rank here.

"He's going to be fine, Solana. I missed you too, by the way." Nihlus tipped one mandible up; _was that a smirk? _Shepard wondered.

"What happened to you?" Solana asked, indicating the blood.

"Minor accident. Everyone's okay, though." His hands rested on her waist, holding her close.

Belatedly, Kate realized that Garrus's _sister_ might be even less pleased than Saren about the slaver scum having accompanied them back. If Solana reacted really badly, her weapon was more than enough to take care of the problem. If she didn't go to work on Kate with her own talons. _I might be in trouble here._

Shepard stepped back a little, further into the airlock, before prying her arm away from Garrus and nudging him in the ribs. "Go say hello, I think you know her."

Garrus looked at her, seemingly mystified, but he stepped toward the blue-marked stranger anyway.

"Garrus," Solana whispered. She reached for him, but Nihlus held her back.

"Give him a minute," he murmured. "It's been a long time."

After only a few seconds, however, Garrus seemed to make the association. His mandibles spread wide in a grin and he touched her shoulder, her face, her barely-there fringe. Finally, he bumped his forehead against hers and she laughed.

Nihlus chittered something quietly to himself. "That's a relief. Now, Solana, don't overreact to the next part."

Solana whirled toward him. "Next part? What else? I already know one of those monsters muted my little brother. What else?"

_Well, that's me._ Shepard stepped forward, clearing her throat. "They brought the monster back," she said.

Solana lunged forward, faster than either Garrus or Nihlus could stop, and Shepard felt her head bounce off the door frame of the airlock. Solana hit her again, knocking her down, and Shepard went to the floor with no argument, just thankful not to feel talons.

_How many head injuries do I get before one kills me?_ As she wondered, the muscles around her ribs spasmed, and she curled into a ball, hardly registering the altercation between Solana and Nihlus as he dragged her away. Kate's vision was smothered over in a foggy blanket of nothing.

#

Shepard didn't see Garrus when she woke up again, her head throbbing in pulses that made the world fade to grey every few seconds. _If I could go a month without getting bashed in the head again, I would really appreciate it. Please and thank you, Whoever's listening._

Nihlus and Solana argued quietly a few meters away. Kate kept her eyes slitted.

"—his choice," Nihlus insisted again.

"Not my problem. Just because he doesn't realize—" Solana stopped speaking abruptly as she saw Nihlus glance past her toward Shepard. Solana growled softly and walked over to Kate to turn the translator off.

_Getting kind of sick of that already._

Once Kate couldn't understand them, they resumed their subdued discussion. Solana, at least, acted calmer about it than Saren had, although Kate thought they both argued for her least favorite plan, _Let's Kill Shepard._

Shepard pushed herself into a sitting position and watched them, eyes tracking every move as she catalogued the body language. Mandibles flared out as Nihlus stamped one foot lightly; Solana raised her chin as she made an angry-sounding hiss.

The fight stopped when Nihlus checked his omni-tool, and then jogged away. He pointed to Solana before he left, and she snorted.

_Who won?_

Solana chirped something at her and Shepard shrugged, pointing to her omni-tool. Towering above her, the turian grabbed her by the arm and wrenched her to her feet. Ribs ground against their broken other halves and Kate struggled to not show the pain on her face. She must have paled, though, because Solana loosened her grip and worked the omni-tool without any further jostling. A few button presses later, words that Shepard could understand flowed from the translator once more.

"You've been summoned. Let's go," Solana said, her tone clipped and no-nonsense, with everything else stripped out of it. No triumph, no defeat; neither smugness at Kate's impending execution, nor disappointment over any possible reprieve. Kate had no idea whether being summoned should inspire dread, or relief.

Solana's longer stride forced Shepard to trot to keep up, arms tight around her middle to minimize movement there. She had noticed that Garrus was much taller than his sister, but she hadn't realized how much bigger turians were in general; Solana was at least a head taller than Kate was. "Summoned for what? Where's Garrus? Is he okay?"

"Don't have time for your questions, human. Saren insists you get your trial now, before my brother is available."

Shepard faltered a bit but quickly recovered. "Look, for what it's worth, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"I don't care," Solana spat. "The tribunal will judge you."

Trial. Tribunal. And both Garrus and Nihlus busy somewhere else, apparently unavailable.

_Well, this is certainly one of the more interesting ways to get killed._

#

"Took you long enough." Saren loomed over Kate as she entered; already waiting before the Tribunal by the time Solana brought her in. It took effort not to flinch from his creepy ass.

"Well, we might have got here on time, were we given advance warning." Solana slid by him, but stopped short of shoulder-checking the taller turian male. "We're here now," she told the three turians in front of her, the tribunal tasked with judging Shepard.

Shepard eyed each of them in turn, memorizing their faces. These three would judge her. Decide whether she would live or die. Two turian males and one female; the female sat in the middle, probably in charge. Dramatic red markings covered most of her face. She didn't look any nicer than the males, one wearing intricate white markings, and another with a few simple black lines.

"Now that we're all here," Saren began.

The female on the tribunal interrupted before he got any further. "I hope you realize you don't get to call the Hierarchy Council at your whim," she snapped.

"Yet you showed, Nyreen. I'm your top agent—"

"And agent is as far as you'll ever go. You will call me Councilor Kandros."

Saren bristled, but Nyreen's yellow eyes stared at him unblinking until he nodded, one quick jerk of his chin upward. Shepard didn't know whether that was a good sign. On the one hand, she wouldn't put up with any shit from Saren; on the other, it seemed unlikely she would cut anyone else any slack, either. _And especially not any captured slaver scum._

"Councilor Kandros. Victus. Vyrnnus." Saren's tone rolled out smooth and formal now; one could hardly recognize him by the tone. Shepard watched as he nodded at each Councilor in turn, learning by their nods in return that Victus wore the white markings and Vyrnnus the black.

_Kandros, Victus, Vyrnnus. Kandros, Victus, Vyrnnus._

Kate noticed Nyreen's eyes staring at her at the same time Saren did. He kicked at Shepard's legs while pushing down on her shoulder; she fell to her knees. She gave brief thought to sweeping his legs and bringing him down to the floor with her, but let the idea pass without needing Solana's hissed warning. She decided at that moment that her execution was off the table. Just to spite Saren, if nothing else.

When Shepard turned her attention back to the Council, Nyreen's gaze turned speculative. Kate met her eyes; she would answer for whatever crime they decided, but she refused to be intimidated.

While she kept her eyes on Nyreen's, Saren took her arm and started to deactivate the translator.

Kate yanked her arm back. "I don't think so."

"She has a right to hear the charges!" Solana exploded, stepping close.

Saren snarled back and pointed at Shepard. "She—_it_—has no rights here." They argued for a long moment, hovering above Shepard, until Nyreen Kandros slammed her hand into the table.

"Enough," she said. "You will leave the translator on. I wouldn't mind hearing the charges myself, at some point. Or did you drag us all here without cause, Saren?"

Saren tensed, the plates on his face and neck darkening. The flush threw into relief a twisting silver scar across his throat. He stared down the Councilor, but unfortunately for Kate, he thought better of attacking her.

When he spoke again, he made a visible effort to find his smooth tone and raise his mandibles in a strained smile; the effect ended up more terrifying than his obvious anger. "You know the charges. She had in her home a turian brother. She was using him as her sex slave. Spirits only know the kinds of things she made him do, the deviant."

"I was not!" Kate yelled, but no one cared to listen to her yet.

"My brother knows, but you made sure he wouldn't be here to speak for her," Solana remarked. This started another back-and-forth of untranslatable growling.

"Stop it!" Nyreen shouted. "I did not come here to listen to you argue. Human, answer the charges. Did you claim ownership of a turian?"

Shepard shook her head slightly; it wasn't like that. "I didn't know at first—"

"It's a yes-or-no question, human," Saren snarled.

Shepard looked at the Council. None of them told Saren she could speak freely. "Yes," she admitted.

"See?" Saren crowed.

The other two councilors chattered at each other, each championing their side. The translator squawked errors at her, unable to parse their overlapping speech, but Kate caught enough of it. Victus was in favor of keeping her and making her work; Vyrnnus wanted her executed.

"May I remind the Council that she had him muted?" Saren's mandibles tilted upward.

_That smug bastard. He thinks he's won._

More impassioned argument from the two Councilors, each one hell-bent on swaying Nyreen's opinion.

Kate waited until they quieted down. "I didn't," she told her. She held Nyreen's gaze while Saren, Victus, and Vyrnnus all argued. The only silent one was Solana, standing behind Shepard; she made sure they permitted Kate to speak for herself, but now she kept out of it.

_I don't want to die. Even if I'm a fucking slaver, I didn't do it on purpose. And I can't do anything about it if they kill me._ Kate examined that thought, then dismissed it as self-serving bullshit. _I don't want to die,_ she thought again. There was the truth. Criminal or not, slavery or misunderstanding, she didn't want to be executed today.

Nyreen gnashed her teeth while the others shouted over each other. Her jaw twisted down to the right, letting her teeth slide against each other; then it returned, and slid down to the left. The effect was similar to watching someone whet a blade. Or a whole mouthful of them.

Saren's voice cut over the din. "Well, he's muted, isn't he?"

"Enough!" Nyreen roared. "Human. How did the turian get muted?"

"Against my consent. Someone took him while I was unconscious in the hospital, without my permission."

Another uproar. Shepard began to have some sympathy for Councilor Kandros; was this her day-to-day? Kate's head started pounding after just a few minutes of it.

"One at a time," Nyreen pleaded.

"She needs to be executed," Saren said hurriedly. "It's in our laws, she's a slaver—"

"Is it Councilor Arterius now?" Nyreen asked, tone cold enough to freeze a penguin.

Saren's jaw snapped shut and Shepard fought an ill-advised smile. Even if she was executed, at least she got to see that beforehand.

Nyreen looked to her left. "Vyrnnus."

"You know my vote, Kandros. They should all be shot, the lot of them."

"Victus?" she asked, turning to her right.

"She seems earnest enough. She can work. We don't have enough people to throw away an extra pair of hands."

Nyreen looked at Kate. After a moment she shook her head.

_Shit._

"In the absence of any evidence for the human's innocence—"

"We do have some evidence," Solana offered.

Saren hissed her name, but Solana ignored him and walked up to the Councilors' table.

"My brother wrote this when they rescued him," she said. Kate recognized the torn piece of notebook paper Solana placed in front of the Councilors. _She treats me well don't hurt her._

Saren gave Solana a murderous glare as she stepped back to stand behind Shepard again.

"It's not proof of anything," he insisted. "You know they come out half-brainwashed."

"'They,' Brother Saren? Because you yourself were never a slave?" Solana asked.

"Not that kind. I came out ready to kill the asari bitch who kept me."

"So then, not all slaves are brainwashed." Solana gave him a smug look, mandibles tilted up halfway to laughing at him.

_Easy there, Solana. He can still kill you with his mind._

"Councilors, you cannot ignore—" Anger and desperation warred in his tone.

"We're not ignoring anything, Saren," Nyreen sighed. She sounded exhausted. "Vyrnnus?"

"Forced to write it in that pyjak scribbling? Kill her. Exterminate them all and the turians will be free."

"Victus?"

Victus looked at the paper, examining the writing. "Solana, you were raised by a human, is that correct?"

"Yes, Councilor Victus. We both were."

"So he learned to write there?"

"No, sir. He was too young to have learned it all when he was sold away. To an asari." Victus smiled at Shepard. She tried to figure out what that smile meant.

"Are you asking if I taught him to write?" she asked finally.

"She will say anything she thinks you want to hear," Saren said.

"I did, though," Shepard said. "Mostly. Not completely. He knew how to spell his name, and he learned his letters quick, like he knew them before. But I encouraged him to learn to write more, and I tried to get him to keep doing it after they muted him. I was hoping to be able to prove eventually that he's sapient."

Vyrnnus and Saren shared a look of disgust at what they considered to be an obvious fabrication.

"She's a liar," Saren declared. "She had no intention of letting her pet sex toy go." He flushed again, making the scar noticeable once more. His hand crept up toward his throat, but dropped before it got there.

"I have to agree." Vyrnnus sat up taller in his seat so he could talk down toward Nyreen. "Humans are all slippery. We've never caught one yet that couldn't spin a beautiful untruth."

Kate waited for Victus to argue back. He remained silent … but he was still smiling at her. Just a little.

"Well, if only the turian in question was here to answer that," Nyreen said, voice so thick with sarcasm that even the translator got some of the tone through to Kate.

"Given that the human claims not to have muted him," Nyreen continued, "and that the only evidence we have from Brother Vakarian confirms that, I have no choice but to allow the human to live. Human," she said, looking directly at Shepard. "You are not free. It is undeniable that you did keep a turian. You will serve your sentence on our ships and do whatever work you are assigned until such time as we consider your debt paid, or Brother Vakarian is judged to be mentally fit and frees you himself. Any further crimes will likely end in your execution. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Shepard gave a quick upward jerk of the chin, a nod in the turian fashion.

"You'll need to be checked in and learn the rules. Saren can take you—" Saren growled, but said nothing. "—and after that, you will do as you are told. The more repentant you show yourself to be, the shorter your sentence will be."

Saren left the room, kicking the door open.

"Don't worry, he'll wait for you," Nyreen said. She looked upward and tipped her mandibles up at the same time; it felt like she was rolling her eyes.

With Saren gone, Shepard climbed to her feet. Ribs ground against each other, and she reminded herself not to end up on the floor again anytime soon. Victus and Vyrnnus slipped through the door behind the Councilors' table, still grumbling to each other. Nyreen glanced to make sure they were gone before speaking again.

"But for spirits' sake, human, don't piss off Saren again. I don't want to hear any more." Then she left, and Kate stood alone but for Solana. Solana, who clearly hated her, but defended her anyway.

Solana, who had just saved her life.

Shepard walked up close to her. "Solana, thank you. I owe you one—"

"I didn't do it for you, human. I'd just as soon butcher you myself. Nihlus suggested that my brother would be put out if you were killed before he saw you again." Solana left, then, and while she had been unwilling to bump into Saren earlier, she didn't mind shoulder-checking Shep and nearly knocking her down.

Kate just smiled despite the sick agony in her ribs. She saw the way Solana reacted in the trial, and she could see the heat dissipated now. Solana may not like her, but she was a far cry from killing her out of hand.

Saren was a different matter. He waited in the hall, as Nyreen predicted. As soon as he saw Shepard, he grabbed the back of her neck, using it to drag her forward like an unruly animal as he marched down the hall.

"I know what you did," he snarled. "As soon as Vakarian is awake, I'm going to prove it."

Kate sucked in a breath. "What do you mean, awake? What happened to Garrus? Is he okay?"

Saren stopped and slammed her against the wall, her feet dangling above the ground. No one saw, with this part of the ship deserted. Saren's eyes burned with fury just centimeters from hers. Kate was helpless to do anything but hang there, pulling at his hand to try to get a little more oxygen.

"After what you've done, you have no right. What you did—"

"Didn't," Shepard rasped.

"Don't lie to me. I knew his asari mistress. I know how he would have been trained."

Kate fought to examine that statement, but consciousness drifted just out of reach. Her feet kicked at Saren's shins; he seemed not to notice.

"And I see how he looks at you," he continued. "He's brainwashed. Anything you did to him to was monstrous." The hand around her throat kept squeezing, gradually tightening while black stars went supernova in front of her eyes, explosions of darkness taking over her entire field of vision.

"Saren, why don't I take her?"

Saren dropped her as Nihlus approached, and Kate almost could have wept in relief, if she wasn't so busy trying not to retch from being half-strangled.

"You need to decide whose side you're on, Kryik," Saren said.

"I know exactly what I stand for. Do you?" Nihlus's calm gaze seemed to push Saren over the edge, but after a moment the bigger turian calmed himself and stalked away. Once more, Nihlus helped Kate to her feet.

"You should stay away from him. He doesn't like you."

"I've noticed," Kate said. "Glad you found me."

"Oh, about that. Garrus was asking for you."


	6. Homecoming

Chapter Six

_Homecoming_

Nihlus let Shepard run past him to sit by Garrus's hospital bed. He leaned against the door, his apparent casual demeanor belying his anxiety. Solana perched on the other side of Garrus's bed looking none too pleased that the human rushed in. Nihlus tried to give Sol a bracing smile, but she only glanced at him before turning her focus back to her brother.

_I'm not going to be able to talk her down from this one, am I? _he thought.

"Garrus!" Shepard wrapped her small hands around one of Garrus's, and his hand gripped hers back. His mandibles clamped tight against his jaw in anxiety, the expression matching his sister's so well they could have been twins. Nihlus hurt for her. They had been searching for her brother for so long.

"He wrote down your name, and made it clear he won't do anything else until you got here," Solana said to Shepard, crossing her arms.

"Garrus, are you okay? What happened, big guy?" She pulled one hand out of his grasp to slide his notebook closer, but he ignored it.

_Shouldn't need the notebook,_ Nihlus thought._ He's not the first turian muted and he shouldn't be the first one they couldn't fix._ Still, he waited almost as anxiously as Shepard or Solana did, little _kantha_ beetles burrowing into his stomach.

Garrus's mandibles moved; hesitantly, uncertainly. Then: "Kate," he grated.

Solana stormed a few steps away, but neither Shepard nor Garrus paid her any mind.

"Sol," Nihlus rumbled, using only his subharmonics so the human couldn't hear. He tried to put a hand on her arm, but she pulled away, not looking at him. He didn't hold anything against Shepard herself, but he could have happily killed her now if it would make Sol feel better. Except that Garrus did care about her, and Solana cared about him. _Three relationships away; why should I have to care?_

"So, that's where you were," Shepard sighed. "You're unmuted. Thank God. No one would tell me where you'd gone, Garrus."

"Solana!" Garrus snapped.

Now Shepard turned to see Sol, the human flinching back at the rage on the turian's face.

_You should be nervous, human. He hasn't seen his sister in years, and his first words are for you. Then when he does speak to her, it's a reproach._

Shepard tried to smooth it over, not even knowing the exact situation. "No, Garrus, it's not like that. I had to talk to some people before I could get to you. It was a good thing." She rubbed his arm, trying to distract him. "Besides, your sister saved me. Saren—"

"Garrus should probably rest some more," Nihlus broke in. _He doesn't need to hear about the Saren stuff yet, at any rate. _"We needed to know if he could speak at all, but now he'd do better to get some sleep and stay quiet. Solana can stay with him."

"I don't want Solana, I want Kate," Garrus said.

_Oh, you shiteater._ He looked to Sol, wanting to tell her it would be alright. She didn't speak or acknowledge him; she only left the room, shutting the door behind her quietly.

Nihlus shot Shepard a look. _Fix this. I don't know how, and I don't care that it's not really your fault. Fix this now before he hurts her any more. _

Shepard's eyes flicked between Nihlus and Garrus. He could almost feel sorry for her; it was obvious she was out of her depth.

"Garrus, that … that was mean," she whispered.

_Now_ Garrus looked concerned. "I'm sorry, Kate, I'll do better. I promise."

Nihlus ground his teeth against the words that wanted to bite and cut; that spineless piece of shit. Sol was his _sister._ He owed her more than he owed this human stranger.

"Shepard, let's go. You have obligations. Garrus will be fine." Nihlus looked at her coldly. He saw her open her mouth, probably to flood him with a stream of justifications, but he shook his head at her; she could defend herself out of Garrus's earshot. Things were messed up badly enough as they were.

She seemed to catch his signal and nodded, pulling her hands from Garrus's desperate grasp and walking away.

"I'll be back when I can, big guy. I promise."

Nihlus held the door, waiting for her. "Your sister will be back to check on you later," he told Garrus, emphasizing the word "sister;" his dual-tones promised dire—but unspecified—threats should Sol be treated so uncaringly again. Shepard finally made it out into the hall and Nihlus followed her.

Their footsteps echoed down the empty hall; night cycle in the Fleet. Out of Garrus's sight, Nihlus set a fast pace to leave the human struggling to keep up. Petty, yes. He knew it.

She knew it, too.

"It's not … my fault," she panted, one arm clutching her ribs.

"I know!" Nihlus roared. He stopped and braced his hands against the wall, searching for his usual equanimity. It seemed he could never keep control of himself, where Sol was concerned. He took a deep breath, held it, let it out.

"I know it's not your fault," he repeated in a quieter tone. "But who is there I can really blame? Don't you dare tell her I said this, but Solana's more fragile than she lets on. She's strong, stronger than anyone knows, but certain things…." Nihlus shook his head, momentarily dejected; then he straightened, throwing off the worry. "Her brother hating her, that's … that could kill her, Shepard. It would have been better for her if you'd been executed."

"I think Garrus might have been peeved about that," Shepard said, face darkening.

"I know. And that's why I begged her not to let it happen. She hates you but she had to save you for his sake. Can you just try not to make it worse, human?"

"Fine! Just tell me how," she snapped, stepping up close to him.

Nihlus almost smiled. The little thing probably couldn't even tip the scales at half his weight, but didn't lack for courage. He put his shoulders back and stood tall, emphasizing the difference in their sizes. "For now, just stay away from him. You saw him in there. He's just as brainwashed as Saren feared."

"I didn't—"

"I know, and I don't care." Nihlus started walking again, knowing that she would have to follow along. "It doesn't matter what you did or didn't do, or whose fault it is. He needs some space away from you until we can stabilize him. He thinks he needs you right now. What he needs is to learn that he doesn't. It's better for him, better for you." _More importantly, better for Sol._

"Fine. I'll stay away. I don't know what you think I was planning—"

"Still don't care," Nihlus returned. He could feel her fuming as he led her all the way down to the brig section. Good. The less she liked him, the less likely she was to try to lean on him, as well. He already had Sol and now her brother; he didn't need to feel responsible for this human, too. _Just let me dump her with the rest of the xenos and get back to Sol. _

Solana needed him right now, but she would never, ever ask.

"You don't know what they've been through," he muttered under his breath. He thought he spoke quietly enough, but the human's sharp ears caught it.

"'They?'" Shepard asked. "Like Saren, you're not part of it?"

Nihlus chuffed in derision. "You have no idea what's going on yet; don't try to play any of the games. I'm not part of all of it; I was born a free turian. Just like you were born a free human." Nihlus ignored the stunned look but did note that she still held her ribs awkwardly. _Oh, that's right, she said she'd hurt them, didn't she? And I'm pretty sure I punched her in the gut, as well. I'll ask someone to take a look._

Nihlus reached Jack's cabin and pressed the buzzer. Jack was a human, but over-seer of all the xenos they brought in. Not the person Nihlus would have chosen, but as long as the job got done, he didn't really care who did it.

"Remember," Nihlus told Shepard. "Do everything you're told. Make yourself valuable to the cause, or you'll be either spaced or dumped on some backwater where you can't hurt us." He walked a few steps away, making sure to stand out of easy range; Jack's unpredictability sometimes meant danger.

"And by the way," he added, "Jack hates you already."

"Who's he?" Shepard asked. The door opened and she turned to see Jack, but just a little too late.

"'She,' fuckface," the tattooed demon snarled, a blue glow around the fist that slammed into Shepard's face. Shepard went down, her head bouncing off the deck as she fell, boneless and fluid.

_Ooh, that's a concussion._ He raised a hand in greeting to Jack, who raised one tattooed arm in return.

"This the bitch that had Vakarian's brother?" she asked, kicking at Shepard's boot.

"That's the one. But don't be too hard on her; she was acquitted."

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Smiles." Jack grinned as she got two fistfuls of Shepard's shirt and dragged her into the xenos' quarters.

"Oh, and have someone check her ribs. She's holding them funny, might be broken or something." Nihlus grinned back at Jack as she grumbled a lazy acknowledgment. Then he headed off to his cabin, grateful that he had never been on the wrong side of one of her moods.

_Hey, at least I can tell Sol that Jack broke the new human's face. That ought to cheer her up some._

#

When Nihlus entered their cabin, Solana paused to look at him, then returned to her pacing. He almost wished he hadn't found Garrus; the worry that he _might_ not be okay had been better for her than this certainty that he wasn't.

"Solana," he rumbled. She never broke stride. Nihlus dropped onto the edge of the bed and pulled a small bottle out of the dresser. "Sit down, Sol. Let me oil your plates."

Solana chittered her uncertainty, standing still for a moment, undecided. Finally she sat in front of him, yanking open her uniform shirt. "You were gone a while."

"I know, I'm sorry," he murmured, warming the oil in his hands and then caressing it into her neck.

"No, that's not what I—there's been a few changes." Solana tensed, then tried to relax into the massage. Tensed again, relaxed again.

"Go ahead and tell me, love." Nihlus worked the oil into her shoulders, her back, all the time growling in his subharmonics _I love you; be still, love._

"I'm supposed to be some kind of coordinator now."

"We've been expecting that for a while, though." It came as no surprise; Solana joined the organization early, one of the first ones rescued. Nihlus was more surprised that she wasn't running the whole thing, yet. Of course, her temper didn't help in that regard.

"Yes, but they didn't give me the official title. They just want me to keep doing more, and more, and they're not really giving me the authority for people to hear my words."

"That must be frustrating," Nihlus acknowledged. He coaxed Solana to lie against his chest so he could oil her arms and chestplates. He nuzzled at her neck, trilling sweet promises in his subharmonics.

Solana would not be drawn in. "That's not the half of it," she snarled. Within his arms, she tensed once more, and Nihlus could feel the effort from her as she struggled to relax against him.

_She's so strong. I wish she knew that._ Nihlus finished oiling her and nipped the back of her neck, rumbling softly to her.

Under his mouthplates, her muscles were just as tense as they had been before he'd started the massage. "The Migrant Fleet wants to know when we'll bring in the rest of the quarians, but the Council says they're not ready to stand with us. We don't have the ships to take on the batarians anywhere; our fleet looks like a couple of toy ships next to theirs, but the Council still says we're almost ready to make our move. And the Geth."

"What about the Geth, love?" Nihlus still listened, but couldn't concentrate. He'd been away two weeks, gathering supplies, making tiny precision strikes to pave their way when they were ready to make themselves known; he usually didn't leave the Fleet for more than a day or two at a time. This had been two full weeks away from Solana. _Two weeks too many,_ he decided, letting his talons graze across her thighs. He breathed on the back of her neck, that spot she liked so much; finally, Sol seemed to loosen up, just a little, melting back against him.

"Half the Geth appear to be under Saren's command, not the Council's. I asked them about it, and they muttered something about him getting results, and giving him free rein. I don't like it. I don't trust him."

"The Council does," Nihlus pointed out. He dug his teeth into her shoulder, a little harder than he'd nipped before; he couldn't be clearer, but she wasn't responding, either favorably or not. "Why don't you forget about it for now?"

"And then there's my brother."

Nihlus sighed; that was it for their reunion, he supposed. He drew back a little, still holding her but without trying to distract her any longer. "He'll be alright, Sol. It'll take some time. Some of them do."

"How can I help the Fleet when I couldn't help him?"

Nihlus's eyes widened. She tensed once more, leaning forward so he was barely holding her; the wrong words now would send her running, he knew. He kept his subharmonics neutral. "You were a child. No one could have expected—"

"He did. He expected me to save him, and I couldn't." Solana pushed away from him and stalked to the door. She paused there, rumbling uncertainty in her gorgeous dual-tones; it was her voice he had fallen in love with, before he had ever seen her face. She didn't look at him as she ran her talons along the doorframe. "I still have some paperwork and things to manage tonight. Don't wait up."

"Sol—" he started, but she was gone before he could even think of how to keep her. "Fuck," he muttered after the door slid shut. He stormed into the shower. Again, he found himself wishing he hadn't found Garrus. He had known her brother's arrival would mess with her head, but if she was actually going to draw away from him ….

"I can't lose her," he whispered. "I won't." What if he did, though? The water streamed down on him, hot and painful. He could lose her. Between her normal responsibilities and Saren making life difficult for everyone, Solana usually hovered right at the breaking point. She never broke, but he could see the fault-line, buried within her.

Now, her brother Garrus finally arrived at the Fleet, and apparently, she thought she should have been able to rescue him sooner. Not to mention, he dragged along his human mistress everywhere he went, not taking his eyes off her for a second. The fault lay exposed to the surface, now; the slightest thing might set it off.

"Just don't let it, then." Well, fine. That's settled. Nihlus rolled his eyes at himself as he wrenched the shower off. Sure, no problem. I'll just explain things to her brain-washed brother and everything will be fine.

No, that obviously wouldn't work. What would? Nihlus dried himself almost angrily, throwing the towel on the floor. He knew it would bug Sol, but maybe she could forget about the big things bothering her while she yelled at him about that. He flung himself down on the bed and growled into the pillow, wondering if he was more angry at Saren, Shepard, Garrus, or Solana herself.

He wished he could take Sol away somewhere. Some time off, away from their revolution and enslaved kinsmen … but they needed Solana here. Not to mention, she needed Garrus to stay with her for the time being; at least until he recovered a little from his experiences.

_Need to get the human away from them, then. Too bad I can't dump her on Saren; he might get rid of her, but no knowing if she'd ever be seen again. What we need …._ Nihlus closed his eyes as he realized the solution. Garrus needed that Shepard woman alive, so she had to be assigned to someone they trusted. Someone who could keep her safe, but far away from either Vakarian. He opened the mail program on his omni-tool, and sent a request for an appointment with the Council; it was past time he accepted his commission and a ship of his own.

Solana wasn't going to be happy about this. _She needs Shepard gone more than she needs me here. Maybe she never needed me here. She disappeared fast enough once I got home._

"That's not fair and you know it," he told himself. She loved him; he knew she did. He reminded himself that his nerves strained away from Solana; two weeks alone with Saren, without any kind of release possible, guaranteed a bad mood. That didn't mean he could take it out on her.

_She might not love you after you tell her you'll be gone all the time. Not even if you explain why._

Nihlus shook his head. "Spineless," he told himself. He already made the decision. It was better for Sol, and he could serve better if he just accepted what the Council had been offering for the past year. Commission, ship, important missions, and the ability to guide the revolution to its culmination. Solana would understand; she had to.

Nihlus turned over, fighting the sheets and blankets and his own frustrations. She told him not to wait up, so he wouldn't. He would likely wake when she came in, anyway. They would discuss it then. She would be sad to see him go, especially since one never knew when a mission would allow one to return home.

Or if.

He still couldn't get comfortable. Finally he sighed, climbing out of bed. He walked to the bathroom, talons clicking on the tile, and picked up the towel. Once it was stuffed into the cleaner he returned to bed. Now he settled in, and found himself drifting off almost at once.

_You're never going to see her again once you leave,_ a voice predicted. He tried to argue, but fell asleep before he could organize the words. By morning, he would forget he ever had such a thought.


	7. Prisoner and Slave

**For those who were following previously, the story's changed quite a bit. New stuff starts at Chapter Six, but it's recommended to start from the beginning. If you'd rather skip, just be aware that (spoilars) there was no Shep/Garrus inappropriateness in the beginning, and some of the walk-on characters were changed.**

**QUICK WARNING: some past-abuse trigger warnings for this chapter.**

** -PB**

* * *

Chapter Seven

_Prisoner and Slave_

_Kate boiled in her armor as she ran; Akuze should never have been colonized. The place felt like living in the Devil's ass._

"_Catch it!" she shouted. Ahead, a synthetic sprinted, outpacing Shepard's team. She looked for an extra burst of speed, and found it, somehow, trying to close the gap. Her team fell behind her, and she didn't care. She spared them a single glance, and when her eyes returned front, an Incinerate bore down on her, forcing her to dodge and then roll as she hit the ground._

"_Lieutenant Shepard, we need_—"

_Shepard yelled back from where she lay. "That thing infiltrated the colony, I am not waiting for more support, now catch your asses up." She sprung to her feet, and resumed the chase. "Lucky ... flat here," she panted. Away from the ruined colony, the land sloped down into a shallow bowl, nearly level for a good long ways._

_The synthetic stopped at the edge of the basin, perching on an outcropping of rock, the mountain rising behind it. Its posture bespoke waiting; maybe the damn thing ran out of programming after it killed or kidnapped all the colonists. Shepard shifted another gear, meaning to run it down, meaning to take it apart piece by piece until she knew what had happened here._

"_Lieutenant? Got a funny reading ..." Acker's voice drifted to her, faint and uncertain. She didn't care what the tech had to say. Her eyes narrowed at the synthetic. She almost had it. It raised a hand, and Shepard readied herself to evade whatever it intended to fire at her._

_The synthetic held a device; bomb detonator, maybe. Shepard reached the thing, and tackled it, just as it depressed the button._

_Behind Lt. Kate Shepard, her squad started screaming as the ground shifted._

"Damn—ow, _fuck!"_

Agony seized her, squeezing down on her chest until she could hardly draw breath, but that pain had to settle for silver at the Torture Olympics; the gold went home with the live-fire demonstration apparently going on in her head. She opened her eyes, but at first saw only a green blur filling her entire field of vision.

Knowing better than to shake her head to try to clear it, she blinked deliberately, and some of the fuzziness abated. The green remained, either real, or a hallucination too stubborn to know when to leave. She practiced breathing again, fighting the pain into a stalemate.

"Are you awake, then?" The voice from the green form sounded like gravel, being dragged over more gravel; kind of felt like it too, as it scraped across her brain.

Kate bit back a moan.

"Let me help you sit up," the voice said. One strong arm slipped underneath her back, moving gently and without hurting her ribs further. Although the movement alone was excruciating enough without him being careless. "There you are," he said. He sounded kind, pleasant. Shepard didn't trust that.

Once she was sitting up—more or less—he retreated to the other side of the room, sitting on the narrow bunk there.

Or cell, maybe. The room's cramped size qualified it, and Nyreen indicated after the trial that Kate was still a prisoner.

She stared at the bunk beside her, wondering about comfort level and whether she could climb into it without screaming.

The green blur spoke again. "You are on the floor because I did not wish to move you before you regained consciousness."

Kate turned her head toward him, cautioning herself against any sudden movements. Her eyes reasserted themselves, and she was able to make out his shape. "Drell?" she asked.

The figure nodded. "I am Thane Krios. You were given something for your ribs. I have been watching your fever. And your nose has been reset, although it may never be quite the same."

Kate started to nod, then stopped herself as her stomach surged forward. God, no puking. If she puked in this condition, her head might explode. She breathed deep, praying for the nausea to pass. "Kate Shepard," she said. She reached for the edge of the bed and used it to lever herself upward, glacial pace accommodating her abused body.

_Not too uncomfortable at all._ She settled into the mattress. _Might actually be able to sleep on this thing._ "So, what happened exactly? I seem to be missing some details." Her fingers probed her bruises and breaks, finding her nose tender, ribs infuriated, and a lump rising from the back of her head like Godzilla out of the ocean.

Thane's eyes appeared to be guileless, but his mouth quirked to the side. "You met Jack," he said. When Kate only looked at him blankly, he continued. "She was not pleased to meet you."

_This guy has a strange sense of humor._ "Right, so. I was supposed to be checked in or something. Learn rules, do some work?"

Thane shrugged, a graceful lifting of one shoulder that rippled the leather of his jacket. "There is really only one official rule: obey orders."

Kate rolled her eyes. She took back what she thought earlier about this place running like she would run it; no one ran anything here. She had been passed off three times now and still no one explained their expectations. "And unofficially?" she pressed.

The drell's dark eyes bored into hers. "You were caught treating a turian as less than a person; you will never be equal to one again." On the word "equal," he tapped the metal necklace he wore.

Kate blinked, at first not getting the significance. When she did, her hands flew to her throat, feeling the cold metal of her own collar under her fingers. "I'm going to kill Jack," she whispered.

"That seems inadvisable, even if she were to blame. Should you kill her, you would then be forced to kill every turian in the Fleet. It seems excessive. After all, it is merely a prison sentence, with a symbolic piece of jewelry attached. Did you deny your crime?"

Kate's cheeks flushed. "I didn't know he was … a person, at first. As soon

as I did—"

"Of course. If we had not acted appropriately to that information, we would have been executed. It does not erase the guilt." He shrugged again, the movement fluid. "Or perhaps is does. I am not to judge." He lay back on his bunk, apparently done with the conversation.

"So ... rules? Work?"

"It is still night-cycle for another hour or so. I suggest you rest." A moment later, his eyes slipped closed and quiet snores floated across the room.

"You've got to be kidding me," Kate muttered. With nothing else to do, however, she had little choice but to lay back, body screaming at every jostle, and try to sleep, as well.

#

Saren watched her over the next week. It would be just as accurate to say he watched _them._ The biotic had placed her with the other prisoner in disgrace, the former drell assassin, and they were getting just as chummy as he would have expected. Shared a cell, assigned to similar duties all day. Probably sharing stories about how they each kept their pet Vakarian in line. Saren preferred them separated, but he didn't deal with prisoners. If he did, things would have been very different for the red-headed slaver.

They sat sorting nuts, bolts, washers; make-work given to those who could not be trusted with real work. Saren ground his teeth, seeing no reason to waste already-limited resources on useless prisoners.

"How many of these things are there?" the human whined. Always whining, always griping. On the first day she'd insulted the human cook, stating they must have a turian making the levo food. Daily, she complained about the chores they assigned her to, believing herself to be above kitchen duty or janitorial work.

"As many as you see each day," the drell answered her.

Saren's mandibles pulled wide in a grin.

"But that doesn't make sense, we've been sorting for four ... do they mix them back together after we finish?"

Saren bit out a laugh at her look of frustration. She looked at him, and he tossed her a mock salute. She colored and went back to work, still moaning, but more quietly.

"Doesn't make sense," she muttered. "Just feeding extra, useless mouths like this."

"I could solve that problem, if you like," Saren called to her, vocals jovial, but his subvocals humming with rage she couldn't hear. She didn't answer, only turning back to her work. _I will execute you eventually._

The younger Vakarian appeared; Saren could only glower. He followed the human around like a _sappa_ chick, always looking for her approval. He sat next to her to help her sort, gazing at her with the same look Desolas always wore, before ...

Saren's jaw clenched, and one hand crept toward the scarring on his neck. He stopped the hand, forcing it back down, though his scar itched now, demanding attention.

"I don't like that at all," Solana growled. Saren glanced over, wondering when she'd shown up and why she stank of sex when she should be on-duty. He dismissed the question, though, not really caring what the elder Vakarian did.

She flopped against the wall next to him, draining a bottle of water.

"Whose fault is that? She should have been executed."

Solana sighed. "You can't kill all of them."

Saren pushed off the wall. "Maybe we should," he said before stalking away.

#

"Benezia," Saren said as the asari Matriarch entered her room. She jumped a little, and before she could recover, he strode over to her and reached across her shoulder to close the door firmly behind her.

Benezia gave him a serene smile and moved around him, seemingly unaware of his implied threat. He knew she understood him. He started to growl and reminded himself to stay polite as she glided into the kitchenette area. She opened a cupboard as she spoke.

"Hello, Saren. Would you like something to drink? I have some of those flowers from Lusia that make a lovely chilled tea; it's safe enough for turians." Benezia brought down the cups and box of blooms.

Saren left the door and paced. "Something has to be done."

"I suggest tea."

Saren lunged toward her and swept the china off the counter. Benezia never moved as the teacups hit the floor, exploding into a cloud of powder around her. So composed. So serene.

_So spirits-damned asari of her._

He stepped forward, forcing her back, and placed his hands on either side of her, braced against the wall behind her. "We have waited long enough," he snarled. "We deserve to be free."

"I am bound to serve the Hierarchy Council. They say they are almost ready to move."

"As they said last year. As they said the year before. I'm beginning to wonder if someone more connected to galactic politics is slowing them down."

Her eyes flashed at him. "My power is limited, as you well know." She pushed him back with a mild Throw and took down two more teacups.

"Only if you stay here. There is other power in the galaxy." Saren stepped forward to catch a teacup as she faltered, nearly dropping it. He took it from her limp hand and set it on the counter.

"Your brother fell into the same trap. He—"

"No. He didn't have a thought left in his head that _she_ didn't put in there. He followed her around like a _sappa_—" Saren's jaw snapped shut on the words and he clenched his hands, trying not to massage his scar. The maddening itch started up, but he ignored it. "She owned him. She never owned me. It will be different. I can save us."

"Then, go. Why come to me?" She turned her cool gaze on him, and for a moment he wanted nothing more than to slam her face into the counter for making him say it. Blood dripped onto the floor from where his talons dug into his palms, and his mandibles moved slowly, sweeping out and back in, out and back in, until he could choke out the words.

"I will need your help."

Benezia _tsked_ at him as she dropped several blossoms into each teacup. She poured the water, letting it steep. "I know how you feel about asari. You'd eliminate us, if you could. Why should I trust you?"

"I already told you! I need your help. How many times do I have to say it?" His jaw snapped open, closed, open, closed. Galling! How dare she question him?

Benezia brought both cups to the coffee table and knelt on the floor, curling her legs underneath her. "The question was not why you are asking, but why I should trust you. Sit down, have some tea."

Saren tried to keep himself still, tried to slow his heartbeat. Benezia merely sipped her tea, face as calm as a still pond. After a moment or two, he dropped to his knees, struggling to find a comfortable position at the low table. _Turians are not designed for this._

Benezia waited until he had picked up his tea and taken a token sip. Ugh, it may not be poisonous for the dextro-based turians, but it tasted like oily soap. He set his cup down as soon as he could without being rude.

"Tell me what you hope to accomplish, Saren," Benezia invited.

"The turians must be freed. This ... this systemized slavery ... I know where to find the power to stop it."

"Yes. But the power took your brother, and your Mistress—"

"_His!" _Saren roared. His arms trembled with the need to reach across the table and snap her neck. He took a deep breath, then a second, before continuing in a calmer tone. "She was his mistress. Never mine."

"So you say." Benezia sighed. "Your cause is just. I have doubts about you. My safety is in no way guaranteed. Under these conditions, I would not be able to help you."

Talons raked across the table, fresh scars in the dark wood. "What are your terms?" he spat. The asari _whore_ was going to make him beg, just like his Mi—his brother's Mis—

"I would need to meld with you, to ascertain your intent."

"Out of the question." Saren rose, quickly enough that he bumped the table, and Benezia steadied it with a precise use of her biotics. He opened the door, stepping one foot into the hallway before she spoke again.

"Otherwise, I cannot allow you."

Saren paused.

Benezia spoke into her tea, not looking at him. "I could not allow you to go without me, either, if your motives cannot be trusted."

Saren strode back, looming over her. "You dare? What, go running to the Council? Ours, or theirs? Would you turn my own people, or would you send the batarians after me?"

"I am an asari Matriarch, Saren. I would not need their help or permission to stop you." A smile played over her lips.

He knew it was true. If he attacked her now, she would almost certainly kill him. If he left without her suspecting, she had enough asari followers to hunt him down.

Still, he almost struck her. His hands twitched. He could gouge her face like he'd gouged the table. She wouldn't look so serene then.

Instead, he dropped to his knees. "Do it, then."

Benezia's hands ghosted over his temples. "Open your mind to me. Let me feel what you feel. Embrace—"

"I don't need the spiel, just do it quickly!" he snapped.

Benezia's eyes went black. Saren tried not to struggle as she dragged him back into his mind with her.

_At first, only shadows. Saren could feel her hesitant probing, uncertain of what she wanted._

—_Little brother, she loves us. We should obey_—

No. Not that. Leave that be.

_Darkness swirled, and he was forced further back. He tried to dig his feet in, but his talons found nothing to grip._

—_Blue thighs pressed against his face. By the goddess, Saren, you are my very best pet_—

No. Stop it.

What do you intend to do with the power, once you get it?

_Rifling through his mind, not waiting for an answer. Pain. _ Fight it.

_Saren pushed the answer to the front of his mind, an offering to make her leave._ Take it and go, _he told her._

—_Free turians stand tall. They mingle on the Citadel, clothed and unleashed. Benezia looks around_—

"That's enough!" Saren pushed her back, panting at the exertion. Shudders racked his form. She was in his _mind,_ in his mind again, and he couldn't—

_Not again. Just the once. Not her, never again._

"Saren, I wasn't finished—"

"Then stop me." Saren surged to his feet, wavering drunkenly for a moment. He felt drained, as though someone had poked a hole in him and all his spirit had leaked out. "I need you, but I can do it without you if I have to." He stumbled out her door and made his way to his own ship. Never mind the cabin he kept on _Liberty;_ tonight, he'd sleep on _Vengeance._

#

Even after the shower, he still felt shaken, badly used.

Shaken enough that Desolas sat perched on the edge of Saren's bed when he got out, still dripping.

"You're dead. Leave me alone." He rolled his shoulders, shaking some of the water off, then stalked over to his computer, dropping heavily into his chair.

"It's okay, I forgive you, little brother."

"It wasn't my—never mind. No point in arguing with you. Get off my bed."

"Sure." Desolas bounded off the bed and crouched by Saren's chair. "So, tell me, little brother. Does this _really_ seem like a good idea?"

Saren spun his chair to growl at his brother. "You see what they do to us! What they did to you! How can it not be a good idea? And besides, you're not here. You're dead."

Blue eyes, as pale as his own, stared back. He could smell his brother, feel the subvocals thrumming. He was _dead,_ though. Back on Trategos. And that bitch asari hadn't gotten so much as scratched; he knew the Vakarian pup had passed through her hands, and spirits knew how many others. His scar itched maddeningly.

Saren pushed away from his desk, contorting himself so he didn't accidentally touch him. It. Whatever was there. It certainly couldn't be his brother.

Desolas followed, right behind him. He placed a hand on Saren's shoulder.

"But whose idea is it, little brother? You aren't trying to figure out where to start; you already know. And you need the geth, but you've had them for weeks, haven't you? Your plans were set before you even decided."

Saren threw the hand off; his strike was clumsy and he felt his talons sink in as he whirled around. "I don't know what you're implying but leave me—"

There was no one there.

Saren checked his talons. Fresh blood on them, but the wounds on his palm were closed already, all the old blood washed away in the shower. His hand trembled, and he closed his fist slowly, forcing the talons into the thin, healing flesh. The wounds popped back open and started weeping.

"Just my own blood. See?" he asked himself. He tumbled to his bed and sank into it. "Lights, damn you," he shouted, sound muffled by the pillow. His head was thumping, thumping like some great beast was stalking him, too heavy to even move quietly. The lights dimmed down to nothing.

_Just a little unnerved. I didn't expect Benezia to see ..._

His neck flushed as his brain ran through all the ways the bitch had used him, used Desolas. And now the human was here with the Vakarian pup, and he fawned over her. If Saren asked, he'd probably get that same look on his face as Desolas, and he'd explain how she loved him, and this time, _this time,_ it wasn't sick.

Finally, finally he was free to touch the scar, try to massage the numbness and tickling sensation away; Saren worked the scar tissue and chirped quietly to himself, knowing himself alone now. His brother was wrong. Benezia was wrong. In the morning, he would leave. The Council knew he set his own objectives; no one would think anything of it. And if he killed the human and freed Vakarian's mind before he left, who would even think it was him?

He lay there for too long, unable to sleep. After a long while, his omni-tool beeped, alerting him to a new message.

_Saren,_

_I believe you do need my help. I will come with you. Give me some time, and I will bring as many of my followers will go. You will need more resources than just me._

_ -Matriarch Benezia_

Saren let out a deep breath he didn't even know he was holding. Thank the spirits. Benezia would be there; she could pull him out if he got sucked in too deep.

"_That's what I thought you could do for me, little brother."_

Saren rolled over, suddenly tired enough to sleep. It meant he couldn't kill that human tomorrow; asari never managed to anything without a week's notice, at least. Think they live forever. He snorted. Oh, well. He would manage. And with a week's time to plan, he could make sure no evidence would point back to him. He drifted off, then, mandibles curved up into a smile. For the first night in a long time, the dreams did not bother him.

* * *

_**I owe special thanks to my beta circle, MizDirected, theherocomplex, Lady Amiee Krios, and most especially to TenyumeKasumi; without her, I would never have picked this thing up again.  
**_


	8. Captain

Chapter Eight

_Captain_

Nihlus's arms wrapped tight around Solana as she snored. She had taken the news that he planned on leaving well.

Very well.

He realized his nose itched, a sneeze threatening, and panic surged, causing his groin-plates to clench shut. He slid backward, moving a centimeter at a time, working his arm out from under Sol. She shifted, rumbling, and he froze.

_Don't wake up, love, please don't wake up. I'm so tired._ His muscles ached, his balls throbbed, and he was starting to worry about the chafing on his _kerk._

Solana stilled again, and Nihlus crept backward. Stealth ops remained difficult for him, as always. Once he freed his arm, he wasted no time sprinting for the door. He grabbed his uniform on the way, but a muzzily murmured "Nihly" made him reconsider finding his boots. Instead, he slipped out the door and dressed in the hallway.

"Ten seconds," he muttered. "Ten seconds if she wakes. Damn you, just, damn," he swore at the clasps. On the other side of the door, he heard Sol growl to him to hurry up in the bathroom. She might look in the bathroom first, or she might already be on her way to the door. He stopped fighting with the clasp on his pants and ran instead, holding the crotch of his uniform shut. He managed to hold the sneeze until he'd made a turn further down the hallway.

#

Nihlus checked that his uniform was straight before entering the mess hall, foot-talons clicking on the metal floor. He grabbed a tray of food and collapsed on a bench across from the human and her drell friend. Danna sat with them, flashing her teeth as she told them a funny story about a shuttle she'd nearly lost. Shepard laughed with Danna, but Krios studied Nihlus, his lips quirked in that way he had.

"You look tired, Sere Kryik," he commented. "And I believe you have forgotten your shoes."

Danna's mandibles twitched hard, whining in her subvocals as she fought not to laugh aloud.

"Not one word," Nihlus told her, growling. "Not one." He held up one finger in warning.

"Am I missing something?" Shepard pushed her hair out of her face, but it fell right back into her eyes. Nihlus shook his head, an automatic denial that Danna undermined a moment later.

"Don't worry about it. Commander Kryik's just _shy_." She drew the last word out into a teasing purr.

"Is that any way to talk to your CO?" Nihlus asked. His subvocals told her to drop it.

"CO?" The human's grey eyes locked on him.

"Getting my commission tomorrow. Beautiful ship. And like Saren, I'll be able to set my own priorities." He held his head up, preening a little. It really did sound impressive when he said the whole thing out loud.

"Congrats, I guess," Shepard muttered, pushing the food around on her tray.

Nihlus held his mandibles tight so he didn't laugh at her apparent jealousy as he teased her. He thought Krios already knew something was up, too; the drell still wore his enigmatic smile, but he shifted in his chair, staring at the human.

He couldn't tease her too long, he decided. You could see the strain in her face every time she was assigned to do something utterly pointless. Nihlus jerked his head at Krios and Danna. Danna took the hint, taking her tray and giving them some privacy. Krios just turned his stare on Nihlus, either missing the cue, or deliberately ignoring it.

"Congratulations are in order for you too, Shepard," Nihlus said.

Shepard's head snapped up, her short hair bouncing. "Really?"

"I mean, if you want to. I know how much it'll kill you not to stay here and finish the sorting and the cleaning." His mandibles twitched, laughing at his own joke. The relief on the human's face was so comical.

He didn't want to ruin her moment, but he had to make sure she knew. He tried to say it gently. "You understand, of course, Garrus will be staying with the Fleet."

Just like that, her face closed down. "Yeah, I got that. But as you said, healthier for him if he doesn't have me around."

"And healthier for you, somewhere far away from certain others." As he spoke, her hand slipped to her throat, where the collar hid an ugly bruise. Nihlus hadn't seen the incident, but somehow Saren had grabbed her by the collar. He still didn't know why, and the human simply shrugged when asked.

He agreed with her assessment, as well. The proof of it came walking up a moment later—two meters of awkward, gangly young turian with eyes only for one human.

Garrus flopped down next to Shepard and pressed his mouthplates briefly against her temple. Krios slid over, giving them more room, but kept his eyes on Nihlus.

Nihlus's mandibles tightened, ignoring the drell for now. He could hear the younger turian's subharmonics rumbling _love._ He needed some space between them.

"Finally got your paint, huh?" Shepard asked, grinning.

Garrus's mandibles fluttered; Nihlus could read pride and embarrassment warring there.

"Yup. One hundred per cent full turian now, Mi—Kate." His arm dropped to wrap around the human's waist. To her credit, she tried to shift back, but Nihlus knew from watching them all week she couldn't manage it without him giving her that _stop murdering my heart_ look. Krios got up and walked away, his face troubled.

_You and me both, Krios._

Shepard reached to touch Garrus's new markings, bold blue lines reminiscent of Palaven, and Nihlus shot his hand out to grab her wrist.

"Don't," he said. "Don't ever touch a turian's markings. Especially when they're new and can be smeared."

Shepard turned her sharp gaze on him, a small smile curving her lips. She didn't fight to pull her hand back, and Nihlus released her, mandibles tight and awkward.

"So, you gonna finally tell me why it was such a big deal when Saren touched you?"

"Not important. Let it go." He gathered his tray, suddenly more desirous of leaving than of finally getting some food in him. Garrus looked up at him, mandibles held loose in silent questioning.

"It's okay, Nihlus. I mean, we should both know why it's a faux pas, but we could always ask Solana what it meant when Saren ran his hand all over your face." She looked smug as she said it.

Nihlus could only gape, frozen in a crouch halfway to standing. "You're blackmailing me? I offer you the chance to leave, and you're blackmailing me?"

"Leave?" Garrus asked, subvocals stuttering panicked tones.

Nihlus smirked at Shepard as he made his escape, leaving her to deal with telling Garrus she had accepted a position on the new ship.

Away from that conversation, Nihlus realized his stomach hadn't given up on breakfast yet. He held his tray one-handed and started shuttling food into his maw with the other. His freedom was short-lived, however; he jumped when Krios spoke from behind him.

"Sere Kryik."

"Spirits, Krios, you have to stop doing that." His mandibles flicked in irritation. Why did the little drell always have to pop out at people like that?

"I would also request that you take me on as part of your crew."

Nihlus's stomach twisted, and he dropped the tray, still mostly full, at the dish counter. He hurried away, but the little drell kept pace. Even though Nihlus was half again his height, Krios didn't appear to be taxed by keeping up. He still moved like a spirit, an effortless gliding shade beside him.

"Might not be the best idea, Krios." Solana would have pyjaks if he told her he planned on moving Krios where she couldn't keep an eye on him.

"I disagree, and for much the same reason Sere Vakarian would be better off with Shepard gone. Sai Vakarian does not like me here."

Nihlus sighed and stopped, leaning against the wall. No point in running if he couldn't even outpace the drell. "Can I even use you?" he snapped. He flooded his subvocals with contempt, knowing that drell could pick up on a little bit of it.

Krios wasn't fazed. "I have many useful skills. Whether you can use me depends on your ability to command."

Nihlus glared, but he'd set that trap himself. Solana seemed to need to know where the drell was at all times, but he knew it didn't make her feel safe. It couldn't make her forget the feel of a collar around her neck. Would she feel safer if he was never on the Fleet? Nowhere near her? No chance of bumping into him unexpectedly?

Not for the first time, Nihlus wished he had been born captive, so he could at least understand better. So much of his day was spent flailing around night-blind, trying to figure out how everyone wanted to deal with their own traumas.

"What sort of skills would be mine to command?" Nihlus asked, stalling.

"I'm proficient with both sniper rifles and submachine guns. I am a biotic. I trained for many years as an assassin, so my hand-to-hand skill and ability to remain unseen are unmatched." He blinked slowly, radiating confidence.

Nihlus clenched his jaw. _And why not? He would be an asset, and he knows it._ Well, Solana had been acting so sweet lately. Maybe she'd just appreciate that he'd keep the drell far away from her.

"Fine," he snapped. "Be ready to leave at wake-up tomorrow. Make sure Shepard's ready, too."

"Thank you, Sere Kryik." Krios bowed his head, then disappeared. Nihlus never even saw him move; just blinked, and then no more drell. Nihlus's omni-tool beeped then, and when he pressed the button, Solana's voice came through, warming him and making him forget about his already-troublesome crew.

"_Nihlus, love, where did you go? It's your last day here, and I want to spend it with you."_

He smiled and his _kerk_ twitched, apparently ready to go despite the exhaustion. His mandibles still drooped when he thought about leaving her, but spirits, she seemed determined to send him off with some memories.

#

Nihlus wanted to tell her about Krios as soon as he entered the cabin, but Solana slammed into him the moment the door shut, pressing him tight against the wall as she nuzzled his throat. Her talons raked down his chest, and he groaned.

"Sol," he started, but she nipped a trail from his mandible to under his fringe, and he lost what he was saying for a minute. She rumbled at him, subharmonics hinting, _finally,_ at something permanent.

It took everything he had to grasp her shoulders and hold her back a few centimeters.

"Solana. I accepted Thane Krios onto my crew."

Her eyes—a deeper blue than her brother's could boast, almost as deep a blue as her markings—first widened, then narrowed. She knocked his hands away, tensing for a fight. "You what?" she hissed.

"Solana—" He reached for her, but she struck his hand away again, taking two steps back.

"Don't 'Solana' me. Why would you do that?"

Nihlus stamped his foot; _I stand my ground,_ the gesture said. "For the same reason you were ecstatic when I said I'd take Shepard." He allowed only a touch of the anger he felt seep into his tone; the last thing he wanted was to have to defend himself against her physically.

Solana clenched and unclenched her hands, mandibles moving slowly as she scented the air, reading him. Finally she dropped her hands, apparently deciding not to attack. "You should have told me first," she grumbled, gaze dropping to the floor.

Nihlus's mandibles tightened. _Yes, well, that was stupid of me, love._ One hand rubbed the back of his neck as he avoided looking at her. He didn't see her move until she threw herself against him again.

"I don't want to fight," she murmured. "You could be gone for so long." Gentle talons stroked his face, his neck. Once again, subharmonics rumbled her desire for forever, for bonding.

For family.

"Do you mean it?" Nihlus asked, pulling back. He'd been bonded to her in heart for over a year, Solana trying to keep him at arm's length.

"I do, Nihlus." Her blue eyes looked up at him, and for the first time, he saw no suspicion there. "We'll raise our young ones to be little freedom fighters, and eventually take them back home to Palaven."

Nihlus chuffed. "Well, hopefully we can break the back of the establishment in the next few years, and they won't have to be freedom fighters." He cupped her face, and she leaned into his hand. "But I will take you to see Palaven again. That, I promise you." He dipped his head to bump his temple to hers, and his heart actually hurt him to be able to say out loud what he'd been pouring into his subharmonics for ages. Why did she wait until the last possible second?

"I'm sorry," said quietly; she must have heard the tinge of regret underneath his voice.

"Don't be sorry, love. Watch me, I'll end the whole conflict in a year so I can come back to you."

#

"I changed my mind."

Nihlus startled awake at Solana's panicked growl. "Mwha?" he asked.

"I've changed my mind!" she yelled, pushing him almost hard enough to knock him off the bed. "I can't rest easy when I don't know where he is."

Krios, he realized. She was freaking out about Krios leaving with him. "Solana—"

"No! You have to leave him here so I can watch him."

Nihlus sighed. Too much to hope for, leaving on good terms. He rubbed one hand down his face, trying to wake himself. The time on his omni said he could sleep for another hour and a half.

Not that Solana would let him.

"Solana, I explained it to you yesterday—"

"Well, you're wrong!" she snapped. "My brother needs that bitch gone, but I need the drell to stay here. I need to make sure he's not … doing … _Nihlus!"_

Nihlus pulled her into his arms, letting her shake against him. She didn't keen, though; never did. Just shook.

"It'll be okay, love," he whispered. "And if he does anything on my crew, I'll fire him into a star, I promise."

"Don't patronize," she grumbled; she shoved him away, but gently.

Nihlus bumped his forehead against hers, letting imperfect words go in favor of singing in his subharmonics; a song of regret for leaving her, and anxiety over her well-being while he was gone. She gave him a warning-snarl in reply, and he backed off.

"Might as well get up. Make sure all my crew is ready to go." He climbed out of bed, stretching. One hand drifted to his shoulder, to feel the bondmark she had given him last night. She had a matching one, although hers looked smooth and only as deep as it needed to be. His mark was ragged and deep, speaking of her insistence that no one misunderstand its meaning.

"You should," Solana replied, rolling back over and pulling the blanket up to her chin.

Nihlus stood a moment. Was she going to see him off? Was she perhaps only sleeping in until he was ready, and she'd meet him before he had to leave? He shifted his weight from foot to foot, talons scraping lightly against the floor. He opened his mouth to ask, but she growled at him before he could.

"Are you going, or not?"

Nihlus flinched back from her tone, and stole out the door. He hoped he saw her again before he left.

#

Nihlus watched as his crew loaded up onto his new ship. The design felt strange, foreign; the quarians were always working on new ways to infiltrate, and the result here was a ship that reeked of human influence. Well, so much the better for his plans. Mandibles thrummed as he walked the deck of his own ship, _his own ship._ And these were his crew. And that was—

"Captain?" Shepard asked.

Nihlus tried to stop the goofy grin, but it beat him, spreading his mandibles and making him look like a fool, he was sure.

"Yes, Shepard."

"Danna says we're ready to shove off. We got all the supplies loaded. Everyone's got their bunk assignments. Just waiting on you to give the word."

Nihlus nodded at her, trying to look commanding. He captained a whole ship, now. She didn't need to know he'd been waiting for Sol.

"Listen up, crew," he said, voice carrying over the ship-wide intercom system. "This is Kryik, and this is my ship. We're going to run things a little differently here. I know we're used to a certain hierarchy. As of this moment, it's gone. There is no rank here but excellence. Expect crew and duties to get shuffled a little bit until I see what everyone is capable of. And if you just can't get along without treating someone like an inferior, then I have no place for you on my ship.

"The Hierarchy Council says it's not quite ready to move yet. Well, I plan on changing that. By the time we come back, we'll have everyone but the batarians on our side, and we'll be able to sweep them aside like so many ashes.

"Lt. Danna, cast off. We have a mission to complete."

A brief cheer went up as Nihlus signed off. He didn't acknowledge it, instead gesturing to Shepard.

She trotted over, nodding at him once. "Nice speech, Captain. Very kum-bay-yah. When do we roast marshmallows and have the singalong?"

"Mind your manners." He gestured for her to turn around, and she did so without question. A moment later he'd deactivated the lock on her collar, and it dropped to the floor.

She turned to him, her eyes opening wide as she massaged her bare neck.

"If you see Krios, send him to me. I'll be in the cockpit." He strode away, not waiting for her answer. The turian crew were going to have to get used to seeing uncollared xenos. He'd said no hierarchy here, and he meant it; rank would be earned, but every person considered equal. Division was no way to run this thing. It was no way to accomplish their goals.

Danna smirked at him as he reached the cockpit. "No hierarchy, huh? Guess that means if I want the weekend off, I can just take it?"

"Sure, if you can get a ride home," Nihlus returned, one mandible raised in a half-grin.

The ship started pulling away from the larger _Liberty._ A few faces pressed up against the port windows, excited to see them off. He didn't see Solana.


	9. Mission

Sorry for the delayed update! If you want to keep tabs on what I'm working on, I leave daily updates on when stuff's being done, what's almost ready on my Tumblr (link of my profile here). It's just updates, and my daily horrible sketch. Also—I feel like I was talking with a person or persons about potential plot development, but can't remember whom ... so, here's me telling you whatever I had planned, the characters changed it all. Again. XD

* * *

Chapter Nine

_Mission_

Saren seethed. His dear brother-in-arms Kryik took the human yesterday; almost as if he knew Saren planned to take care of her. He'd better fucking watch it. If that damn freeborn crossed him one more time ….

"Aren't you ready yet?" he snapped.

Benezia looked up from her work, face expressionless. "I told you when I would be ready. Patience, Saren. You cannot free your people overnight." She checked the same datapad for the hundredth time, _tsk_ing under her breath.

"If they're not going to be ready, leave them."

"No general ever won by leaving without his army."

Saren bit his tongue. He knew a few dozen asari commandos would not make the difference between freedom and perpetual slavery. He needed to get in contact with the forces that had taken both his brother and his Mis—his brother's mistress. He rubbed his throat furtively while Benezia's back was turned; it itched damnably.

"_Brother, you should take her commandos and do what everyone thinks you'll do. Attack some outposts. Get some broadcasts through to the public. There are better ways. The Reapers won't help you."_

Saren gave no answer. Desolas was dead. He didn't need a lecture from his own imagination, he needed sleep. "Get your people ready to go. We leave tomorrow. I need to seal the alliance with the krogan."

Benezia turned to look at him, her face troubled. "The krogan already have an alliance with the Hierarchy. Why—"

"I'm offering a better one," Saren snarled, slamming the door on his way out. Mandibles spread in greeting and people chuffed in his direction as he stormed back to his ship; he returned none of them. Time grew short; he could feel it. His people's lifespans could be measured by how long it took an owner to grow tired of them. He could tolerate no more delays.

"_Brother, how much time did you spend around Mistress's artifacts?"_

"Enough to know what I'm doing," Saren growled.

"_Saren—"_

"Begone!" He prowled through his empty ship, flopping into the pilot's chair once he reached it. He ran a systems check again. His feet twitched; it was past time to run down his prey.

But the asari weren't here, yet. And he did know that without an anchor, any contact with the Reapers would end in his becoming a willing thrall, useless to help his people.

_You'll always be someone's thrall._ His hand rubbed at his throat again, as if trying to rub the scar off. He didn't know whose thought that was, but he could feel the damn collar on his neck again; feel her control over him.

_Never again,_ he vowed. Not asari or Hierarchy or even Reaper. No one controlled him.

#

Kate Shepard laid her cards down. "Read 'em and weep," she declared.

"I'll weep laughing, you've just lost again." Danna laughed, shaking her head and gathering the jerky strips they were playing for.

"I don't get how you're not getting this game. It's easy," Lilihierax chuckled. One foot lay across the table as he leaned back in his chair.

"Shouldn't you be in the engine room, optimizing thrusters or something?" Kate snapped.

"Oh, I can calibrate for optimal thrusting. I can calibrate for optimal thrusting all night—"

"Captain," Thane murmured.

Lilihierax dropped his feet to the floor and everyone straightened a little as Nihlus entered the lounge, flicking his mandibles in apparent irritation.

Kate shrugged mentally. She had no rank here, and managed to make friends with a couple of people over the last couple of months. Nihlus was The Captain; people were going to drop what they were doing and tense up whenever he walked into a room. Just the way things go.

"Deal me in," Nihlus said, dropping into the one empty chair.

"Sir." Danna gathered the cards and dealt. Neither she nor Li had any more jokes, it seemed. Nihlus played a few hands in deathly silence before he tried to get the conversation going.

"Shepard, how goes your hand-to-hand?"

Kate winced in sympathy; he couldn't be one of the group if all his conversations were about work. "I told you, I can fight."

"I saw how well you could fight when we picked you up. How'd that go again?"

Danna and Li snickered; Kate cracked a smile. Only Thane stayed quiet and watchful.

"Two on one, and me with broken ribs? I think I did alright."

"Sure, sure. And how did those ribs get broken in the first place?" Nihlus dropped his cards and claimed his winnings.

Lilihierax patted her on the back, while Danna tried to get her to respond.

"Just flash your mandibles like this," she said, demonstrating. "Only way to save face."

"You may have noticed I don't have the equipment," Kate said.

"Just as well." Li leaned back in his chair again. "Danna's telling you to challenge our dear Captain Nihlus." He laughed again as Danna swatted at him.

"Oh, that's low, Danna. Trying to get me in trouble." Kate laughed, as well, and beside her, even Thane had cracked a smile.

Nihlus's gaze slid over each of them in turn. "I think I'll quit while I'm ahead." He rose and straightened his uniform before heading to the door.

Kate felt a pang of sympathy, but what did he expect? The captain didn't get to relax with the grunts.

Nihlus paused at the door. "I'd like to speak to you, Shepard. When you have a free moment."

"Oh, now she's in trouble!" Lilihierax chuffed as Nihlus left.

"Better go see." Kate got up, leaving her cards.

"Stay," Danna called. "At least finish out the hand."

"Come on, I've already lost most of my poison-jerky. I'll catch you next week, after I figure out the rules again."

#

"Sir, you wanted to see me." Ancient habit forced Kate's hands behind her back, her gaze straight ahead as she addressed her commanding officer.

"How are you fitting in with the crew?" Nihlus sorted through some datapads on his desk.

"Fine, sir." Kate kept her eyes straight ahead; what did he mean by asking that?

His mandibles flicked. "I'm asking you a question. How are they dealing with a human and a drell on board?"

"You know your crew better than I do." Kate stopped herself from shrugging, but barely. A sense of doom crawled through her veins, suspicion building. Open-ended questions, looking for her opinion? _This can't be good for me._

"I'm asking for your input, Shepard."

_Shit_. "There were a few dirty looks in the first week or two. No outward hostility otherwise."

"And does the crew seem to be gelling? Everyone working together, everyone doing well?" His raptor's eyes drilled into her, seeming to mark her every thought.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Just answer the question."

"Everyone works well together. No one's got a ton of experience on ships, except for Li and Danna, but everyone's picking it up. Pretty much everyone's got a handle on their assigned duties. As far as I can tell, we're ready for the next step, if that's what you're asking, but I have no idea how anyone will be once we get boots on the ground."

"I wanted to know what you thought. I know we're ready. I'm making you my second in command. Commander in the field."

"No." Kate looked at him, stunned. He couldn't do this. She wouldn't let him.

"You have more experience in a _working_ military than anyone else here, including me. You're obviously keeping tabs on the crew—"

"No, sir—"

"Don't interrupt me. You're also more familiar with tech than almost anyone here, and you're comfortable reading and writing. Who else on my crew is more qualified?"

"Sir. You can't put me in charge. Of anything. Not ever. Don't do it."

"Then who else?" Nihlus snapped. "Are you going to tell me you haven't already been keeping an eye on everything? Half the time I go to check on something, you've already made a suggestion that fixed the problem. Take the position or don't, but if you're afraid of a little responsibility, I'm putting you off at the next stop. I have no use for cowards on my ship."

Screams echoed in her mind as her team was torn apart by thresher maws. Her mistake. Her _fault._ "I'm here to help the cause."

"Then help it and quit arguing with me. You're leading a raid on a breeder's tomorrow. A handful of batarians, dozens of turian captives. Or I can drop you off at the Citadel, if you prefer. Your call."

"Sir, I can't. Not this."

"Then who can? I'm not supposed to run the ground missions; I'm supposed to stay on the ship. Maybe Danna could run an op? She's good, people will listen to her."

Kate shook her head. "She falls apart unless the problem's on her nav-screen."

"Lilihierax? You like him, trust him."

"No, he can build you a brand-new ship if you want, but he has no idea how to give an order. He makes _suggestions_ for the engineering team—"

"Well, then?"

Kate's eyes narrowed. "You can't tell me I'm what you've got. Go back home. Go to the Fleet. Eventually, someone—"

"Me. I'm someone. I'm getting us moving on this, and you're helping me. End discussion. Or you go home."

Kate sighed. "Fine. Who's my ground team?"

"Krios. Argus. Pax. And me."

"Thought you weren't allowed on ground missions?" She the smirk was inappropriate, but couldn't help it.

Nihlus didn't even seem annoyed. "I need to at least see how people work on the ground. Be ready. We drop after breakfast. Dismissed."

#

Shepard ground her teeth as Pax and Argus retched over the intercom. They should have dropped _before_ breakfast. Why they hell had he picked people who had never gone on a live mission before?

"Buck up, people, we're gonna hit 'em hard and quick and rescue some turians then go home." She led her group to the facility, Argus and Pax close on her heels and Nihlus and Krios further back. "Pax, I need a read on the building."

Pax crouched and brought up her omni. "Looks like … just two exits. This main one, and one around the other side. Several dozen life signs … spirits, I hope most of those are turian."

"Sit tight, people. Kryik." She jogged a few paces away and turned off her mic, Nihlus following suit. "Sir, this is unacceptable. We don't have enough intel."

"We do. There won't be more than a dozen batarians." Just like that, discussion closed. He opened communications again to speak to the group. "Krios, you're with me. We'll go in the back. I'll draw their fire and you cover me. Shepard, wait three minutes then take your team through the front. Remember, everyone, two eyes good, four eyes bad." A moment later, he was gone, Thane a silent shadow two steps behind him.

Shepard concentrated on keeping her breathing regular. She couldn't afford to lose it now. She had two panicked turians under her command, and the two people who weren't freaking out left already. She waited the full three minutes before nodding to her group.

"Okay, folks. Let's go. We got this." Pain gripped her guts as she tried to set the panic aside. They could do this. No problem. Nihlus and Thane would draw all the targets away, and Shepard and her team would be able to bring down any stragglers. _Or, maybe, the batarians knew we were coming and they set up a party. Cake and ice cream for everyone!_ She jittered while Pax hacked the door, wishing that for once, an op went according to plan. _Little help, if anyone's watching. Let this one go right._

#

"Take them down!" The batarians stood ready as Shepard entered the facility.

Of course. Shepard ducked, rolling into cover while trying to keep tabs on her turian crew. They kept low, kept to cover, but she could hear Argus panting and whining under his breath. Pax, on the other hand, stayed silent and seemed to freeze once she ducked out of the line of fire. Neither one screamed, but Shepard could hear screaming nonetheless.

—_my fault my fault I got them all killed again—_

For a while, things went blank. At some distance, she felt herself moving, mowing down batarians with deadly accuracy. There couldn't be more than three or four here, but she seemed to keep fighting forever. Everything became gunfire, screams, and blood; the ground shifted under her, the Maw was coming.

After a few minutes she realized the moaning she kept hearing came from her own throat. She locked it down, trying to ground herself in the present again. Four dead batarians. Pax, where was Pax? Argus fought with a batarian, pressed into a wall as the batarian pulled at the turian's rifle.

"Oh, fuck no," Shepard growled, already sprinting. She crashed into the batarian, driving him into the wall next to Argus. He hadn't been wearing any armor and gasped wetly as he fell to the floor, chest crushed.

"Argus, get up. Where's Pax?"

He popped to his feet and raised a trembling arm to point; Pax sat shaking across the room.

"Pax, on your feet."

Shepard nodded as the female turian obeyed. Well, at least they'd drilled enough to listen to commands. "Kryik," Shepard barked.

"_One second." _A report sounded through the communicator, then Nihlus spoke again. "We're clear here, just outside your position. What's the situation?"

"Front room is clear. What—"

The door on the far wall slammed open, and Shepard nearly opened fire on Thane and Nihlus. Her heart pounded.

Pax and Argus hadn't even moved.

"Everyone else should be downstairs. Should be mostly us, maybe one or two targets. Let's move."

Shepard shook her head; her team was done, they couldn't go anywhere else. "Sir, I don't—"

"Another few minutes, and we can all go home." He chirped after he spoke, and the turians fell in behind him. Thane disappeared again, probably scouting ahead. Shepard had no choice but to zip her lip and follow, hoping that no one had another breakdown. She was gonna _kill_ Nihlus once they arrived back on their ship.

Nihlus led the group to the stairs, then down to the basement.

Two gunshots later, Thane called the all-clear. None of Shepard's group had even gotten off the staircase yet.

Nihlus made a brief purring noise. "Good work, people. Let's get these people out of their cages.

Stepping off the bottom stair, Shepard finally took in the room. Rows and rows of cages lined the walls and made corridors, a skinny, dirty turian imprisoned in each one. Some of them walked closer to the bars, looking at the small group of freedom fighters with a familiar expression that hurt her heart.

Not hope, not fear. Not even curiosity. Simple resignation, and acceptance of whatever the whims of fate chose to throw at them next. She fetched a deep sigh at the heaviness of the load settled onto her shoulders, feeling for the first time that this was going to be the hard part, and it wouldn't be over for a very long time. If just one of them looked like there were still there inside, it wouldn't be so bad. As it was, they all looked defeated before the revolution began, the stink of despair coming off of them and settling into her hair, her pores. May as well all give up now.

The bred turians went along easily with what they were told. Nihlus had Pax and Argus opening up cages and evaluating whether anyone needed medical care. Thane and Shepard started a list, trying to get people's names, find out if there were any family groups. Devastatingly, most of them were children, with no sign of their mothers or fathers anywhere.

"Shepard," Nihlus called. "Danna's bringing the ship in. Go ahead and get the first group settled."

"I still need to talk to you," she snapped. She checked her tone at his raised brow-plate. "Sir."

"We can debrief after the mission, unless it's urgent."

She shook her head, not bothering to answer. Disaster of a mission. His fault, not hers. She hadn't done a damn thing wrong. She turned back to a group of turians that she'd already gotten identification details from. "Come on, people. We're going to go ahead to the ship, get you something to eat and somewhere to sleep. Follow me." She kept her tone gentle and walked slowly, making sure not to leave anyone behind. She stopped to pick up a toddler-aged turian who still hadn't said a word. He clung to her, too young to even understand what was going on.

_Long, long hard journey,_ she thought again, thinking of how much it would take to bring every turian out into the galaxy as free, independent people.

#

Shepard waited for Nihlus in his cabin-slash-office. She, with the help of a few others, had assigned bunks to each of the captive turians. Everyone had a place, and the ship headed back to the Fleet. Now that no one fragile needed her to stay calm, she seethed, rage boiling just below the surface. Putting a lid on it now would cause it to boil over entirely. She sat down, then jumped back to her feet, pacing and unable to stay still. They could have lost Argus. Pax, too. Not her fault, this time.

Kryik's.

Sending them in half-prepared, putting her in command of a group before any of them were ready. Stupid fucker. Stupid, _careless_ fucker.

Nihlus entered, groaning as he dropped his armor. "What a day. I don't know which is worse—"

Shepard punched him.

She hadn't planned it, hadn't expected it. For just a moment, the rage and fear had taken over, and Nihlus landed on his ass, one hand cradling a cracked mandible. They froze for a moment, twin expressions of shock on their faces.

Nihlus recovered faster and struck back, slamming her against the wall, his arm across her throat. "I know you've had a bad day, Shepard, but you strike me again, and it'll be the last thing you do. Won't bother with a court martial, I'll just space your ass and be done. Remember I'm your commanding officer. If you want to discuss this, you'll discuss it like a rational adult." He dropped her, and she gasped for breath, rubbing her throat.

"Stupid," she rasped.

"Would you care to elaborate?" He sat down at his desk as if pretending to ignore the confrontation they'd just had.

"Stupid to go in so soon. No one was ready. You put me in charge, I told you I couldn't do it—"

"Yet you did. No casualties. As for our crew complement, we have who we have. Spirits, Shepard, half the turians in the Fleet are plagued by nightmares. A third of them try to reflexively kneel if any non-turian speaks to them. Anyone who's already experienced at ground missions is on them. This is who we have. You want them better, make them better."

Shepard snarled to herself, a turian habit she'd picked up recently. Much easier than explaining her frustration, with herself, with all of them. "The intel. We had a rough idea of numbers and nothing else—"

"I knew exactly the layout and where they'd be. I picked the place knowing you could handle your end of it, even if they both fell apart. Didn't you?"

Unacceptable. Careless. But difficult to argue. She changed tack. "The only way for them to get experience is to get it. Without more experienced people watching their backs—"

"They'll be forced to learn faster. This is the way, Shepard. They'll grow. You will, too. I still need you as my second." He leaned back in his chair. "Now that that's settled …."

Shepard chuffed, but didn't argue. Didn't matter anyway. She had no plans to leave—how could she, given the situation? And there was no way she could convince Nihlus to do anything differently; she'd seen enough of his stubbornness since she arrived at the Fleet, and it more than matched her own. Really, it was settled, no matter how pissed it left her.

"We found someone interesting after you left."

Shepard's eyes widened. "Some_one?"_

"Batarian."

"Execute him."

"Not so fast." His mandibles fluttered. "He was in a cage at the back. With four others, all dead. Obviously not one of the ones running the place."

Shepard shrugged. "So, dump him somewhere." What did she care, anyway? Did he have a point?

"Clearly, he did something to piss off the slavers there."

_Okay, and?_ "Looking to steal some slaves?" She still didn't see where he was going with this.

"We don't know yet, and he won't say. I want you to speak to him. Find out. Once we have the confession, we can execute him properly."

"Fine. The brig?"

"Yes, ma'am. Have fun." He turned his attention away from her, picking up a datapad.

Shepard rolled her eyes. "You are entirely too nice for this job. If you want, I can make sure he sees it our way."

Nihlus rubbed his jaw, careful not to touch the mandible, hanging askew. "Don't worry. There will be plenty of time for your particular military style soon enough."


	10. Batarian

_Okay, folks. Expect this one on a weekly schedule from here on out, on Thursdays. Well, probably Fridays to some of y'all; I post late in my day sometimes._

* * *

Chapter Ten

_Batarian_

Nihlus watched as Shepard left, waiting until the door slid closed before checking on his mandible.

"Owwww." He rushed to the bathroom, turning his face to check the damage. Broken, hanging askew. He touched it with one talon and flinched back immediately. "Hope she broke her damn hand, too." The thing might never heal properly.

_Maybe it'll give me a rakish, dangerous look._ He pouted at the mirror one last time before making his way into the bedroom part of his cabin. He flopped down on the bed to think.

Spirits, he was tired. He hadn't really thought about how much work it would be to run a ship. Shepard complained about being given some authority on the ground, but ultimately, he was responsible for her actions, as well. If the engineering team left something undone or made a mistake, while Lilihierax might flagellate himself, the responsibility truly belonged to Nihlus. Every mistake, every loss, every action that didn't go well. All on him.

_This is too much._

But, who else? He'd asked of it Shepard, and now he asked it of himself. If not him, then who? Saren gallivanted off, doing his own thing, but he made no progress on the overall goal of turian liberation. The Council sat and did nothing. Maybe he could understand why, but it still left the work undone. No one else was willing to do the work. If Nihlus couldn't do it, it wouldn't get done. He sighed, rubbing at the undamaged part of his face.

_Buck up, Kryik. The next mission will go better._ It had to. Maybe they could keep the batarian around. Delay his execution. If he could get his crew used to seeing a batarian face ...

Nihlus sat up, opening his files on his omni-tool. He kept details of everyone on his crew. Lilihierax stood as the only freeborn beside himself who had never been captured. Good, solid man; but not fit for command, as Shepard pointed out. Danna, half crippled by a bad beating she'd taken at the hands of a batarian master; she could fly, but not much else. He scrolled through the rest of the names, making educated guesses on which ones would be flat-out unable to tolerate the batarian, and which would be able to use his presence to grow stronger, in time. He swore softly when he was done. In the best case scenario, he still only had a handful of useable soldiers for the foreseeable future, two of them xenos who might never be fully trusted by the rest. And those two had their own issues. Whatever Shepard thought, he hoped she had the sense not to just execute the batarian. Well, unless he forced her to.

His omni beeped just as he started shutting down his notes. He checked it, mandibles fluttering, the injured one sending spikes of pain into his face.

_Solana! Don't answer._ He hadn't spoken to her since he left the Fleet. She hadn't sent so much as a single message, and Nihlus couldn't make himself message her, anxiety twisting his gizzard about whether she'd given up on him. His hand moved to his bond-scar, not even fully healed. This could be the last time he ever spoke to her.

His omni beeped insistently, making his pulse race and his ankles twitch, preparing to run.

Of course, if she wanted to rekindle things and he ignored her call, he would never speak to her again and it would be his own fault. He growled "spineless" at himself and picked up the call.

"Solana." He knew his subvocals broadcast anxiety and uncertainty at her, and wished he had the ability, so rare in turians, to lie with his tone. Depending on her mood—

"Nihlus," Solana purred.

Just like that, he felt his _kerk_ twitch, shifting out of his plates. He heard from her regret and longing, all mixed into that special tone she used only for him, in private.

Nihlus cursed himself for the weakness, cursed himself for having to ask. "So, you're not … not mad at me for leaving and taking the xenos with me?"

"If you were here, Nil, I'd start by grazing my teeth up your neck, growling at that sensitive spot under your crest …."

_Oh, thank the spirits._

#

Kate paused on her way to the brig as Argus reached out and touched her arm.

"Shepard?" He bobbed his head at her in a gesture she didn't recognize.

"What's up, Argus?" Kate widened her mouth, not quite an encouraging smile, but instead mimicking the mandible-spread that turians used.

Argus moved from foot to foot, shifting his weight, looking almost as if he wanted to flee. "I'm sorry. I panicked down there. On mission. I'll … I'll try, it's just when I saw them—"

Kate stepped close to him, leaning briefly against him, arm to arm. "We're good, Argus." She smiled as he trilled in relief, reassured by the gesture. _I trust you,_ that gesture said to turians; or more literally, _I can lean on you._ "Get some rest. There will be more missions. We can do this."

Argus nodded once, mandibles held in an uncertain posture. Not until he walked away did Kate let the mask slip and the rage show through. They had done this; those goddamn batarians. She marched to the brig and nodded to Thane, guarding the door. He nodded back, then grabbed her arm before she could go in.

"Remember, they're the enemy," he told her.

"I got it." Kate shrugged his hand off and entered the cell, hearing Thane lock the door behind her. She slid into the empty chair, the batarian sprawled in the one opposite.

She needed no reminder that the batarians were the enemy. She almost lost Pax and Argus because they froze if they even saw a batarian. She still had no idea what had happened to them, and didn't want to. Danna walked with a limp; her hips had never been set properly after her batarian master worked her over, and for whatever reason, she was resistant to having them fixed surgically. The batarians built the society that allowed Garrus and Solana to be used as—

The batarian looked up, and Kate suppressed a vindictive smile. His hands were cuffed behind him, and hopefully raw where the manacles abraded his wrists. Cuts and bruises covered his face, his malnourished frame allowed bony ribs to show even through the sleeveless undershirt, and welts covered his shoulders, hinting at worse damage under the clothes. It was only a fraction of what they'd done to the turians.

"Not telling you a damn thing, human." The batarian's words came out slurred, his lip split. "May as well kill me." He grimaced, pulling himself into a more upright position on his chair. He tilted awkwardly, and Kate recognized the broken ribs without seeing them; she sat like that for weeks after the battlemaster messed her up.

_Serves him right. He was there to steal slaves. Who knows what kind of situations he's sold people into?_

"Don't tempt me," Kate muttered. She sat back in her chair, crossing her arms. "Let's start with the easy ones. What's your name?"

"Uncuff me," he growled.

"You wanna do it that way?" Kate grabbed the edge of the table and shoved it forward, stopping centimeters away from the batarian's chest.

"Hey!" He jerked back, then groaned, twisting to try to baby his ribs.

"You want to just tell me your name?"

"Tamlak, bitch."

"I go by Shepard."

Tamlak turned to spit on the floor. "Like I give a fuck what you call yourself. Just execute me and get it over with. There's no way I'm getting a fair hearing on a ship full of turians and their special pets."

Kate kept her face neutral. "The turians don't keep pets. Batarians do, though."

"Sure. Prove I ever kept one." His four eyes bored into hers, arrogant and sure, but a thread of fear wove through his words; Kate could feel it.

"Look, just admit you were there to steal some slaves, and we can get to that execution you want so badly." She shook her head. Why was she even bothering to get the confession? He was lying about never keeping one. But he didn't sound like he was lying. Okay, fine, so maybe he didn't keep any, and just sold them? She looked into Tamlak's face, seeing it twisting in a sneer as he stood over Danna, beating her while she screamed. He was one of them. She just needed him to admit it.

Tamlak sneered. "You are so far off the mark I'd laugh, if I didn't know how this would end."

Kate crossed her arms. "Explain yourself." She stood up, circling around him, watching as he tried to keep her in view, then flinched back because of the ribs. She finished her circuit and sat on the table in front of him.

"Your beloved turians. Ask them what happens to any batarian prisoners. I know they keep a few asari, and apparently, human and drell might be safe. But my batarian blood, the sins of my _race,_ ensure that I'll be tortured to death. I hope you enjoy it, bitch, because you'll pay for it eventually."

Kate blinked slowly. No, he couldn't ... He must have good reason to believe …. "You're wrong. Nihlus already told me to start nicely with you. Even if we get the wrong answers, the worst you're facing is a quick death."

"Nihlus Kryik?" Tamlak laughed. "He won't do it himself, he'll just stand by and watch. He's done it before."

Kate jumped down from the table and paced. Nothing about Tamlak indicated he was lying. She'd had enough training to be able to spot it. But, the other option was Nihlus not being who she thought. Was it possible ...?

_No. Nihlus saved my ass when Saren wanted me put down. He took the goddamn collar off me himself. This batarian cocksucker is lying just to save his own skin._ Once it clicked into place, her expression hardened. Oh, fuck no. She swaggered back around to look at the monster, leaning against the table. She bent down to speak low, centimeters from his face. "Nihlus gave very strict orders. If you were there to kidnap some turians to sell as slaves, you'll be killed quickly and cleanly. No torture. By not speaking you're only hurting yourself. So, why don't you just admit it?"

Tamlak shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again. Kate thought that he wanted to trust her. Wanted to tell her. She gave him some time to reach the decision.

"Wasn't there to keep slaves," he muttered.

_Oh, you fucking liar._ His tone was off, his eyes staring off into the distance behind her. But it still wasn't a _lying_ tone. She wanted to believe him. "Bullshit. The other batarians had you in a cage. So if you weren't stealing from them, what did you do?"

Tamlak looked up at her, and for a moment his expression flashed to earnest desperation before it shut down again. "I fucked the Hegemon's wife," he spat.

Kate snorted at the deflection, trying to ignore how his tone changed when he lied. Unless she couldn't read him at all, this was the first lie he'd told her. "Oh, yeah? Was she any good?"

"She was shit. Probably better than you, although you look like you might be fuckable in a pinch."

Kate reacted without thinking, leaning back and kicking him in the shoulder. His eyes went wide in panic as he tipped. He seemed to fall in slow motion, shouting when the chair slammed into the floor, his hands still trapped behind him, taking the entire force of the fall. He had to be lying. He had to.

"That looks pretty painful," Kate said, nudging at one strained shoulder with her foot.

Tamlak groaned in response, beads of perspiration appearing on his face.

"Now, see, you don't seem to get some things. Nihlus wouldn't allow you to be tortured to death for being a slaver. He—unlike some other people you may deal with—has pesky things like morals about you fuckers." She smirked as she placed one booted foot on his groin, pressing only lightly enough to get the threat across. "So just go ahead and end this now, and tell me you were there for the slaves."

"Fuck … you … cunt," he panted.

Kate pressed down, making him howl. She let up when she saw his eyes roll back, preparing to faint, and crouched down next to him. "You can end this any time. You think I won't go far enough to make you regret not speaking up sooner?" Her hands grazed across his ribs, a gentle caress that she knew would be agony on the broken bones.

"Don't." Tamlak swallowed hard, his mouth working, but he couldn't seem to find any other words. "Don't," he said again, his voice cracking on the word.

"Tell me." She put the barest pressure on his ribs, squeezing slowly until he gave up and broke.

"Alright, alright!"

Kate immediately lifted the pressure, but didn't move away, the touch of her hand light, but the threat heavy.

"I … I was there for the slaves," Tamlak panted, quick shallow breaths that obviously pained him.

"There. Was that so hard?" She grabbed the back of his chair, setting it back up on its legs as Tamlak groaned.

"It was a rescue mission," he added.

Kate froze. "What?"

"Rescue mission," he repeated.

"Bullshit." Kate found herself shaking. No, he wasn't on the same side as them. He was one of the monsters. He was a liar and a slaver, and deserved what she'd done to him.

Tamlak's shoulders slumped as much as they could, given the cuffs and the injuries. "Then just tell me what answer you want, and I'll give it. I was there for slaves, and it wasn't a rescue mission. I was, uh, selling them. Or, something. Whatever. You people are killing me either way."

Kate tried to convince herself he was lying. He had to be lying. If he wasn't the monster ... Her hands shook, her stomach turning as she worked through the implications.

"You're a slaver," she told him.

"Yeah, fine. Slaver. Can we get to the execution now?"

He wasn't a slaver. He wasn't a _liar._ Whatever rescue mission he claimed, he meant it. Shame flooded her, heating her face.

"Tell me more about this rescue mission." Kate tried to shake the feeling of what she'd done. If he really was innocent, she'd never be able to undo this. She knelt to release him from the cuffs, and Tamlak grunted in surprise as he pulled his arms back front, moving them cautiously.

_What the fuck did I do? How far would that have gone if he hadn't stopped me?_

"Don't," he told her. "Don't pretend to free me just to go back to the torture. Just get it over with. I'll say whatever you want to hear."

Kate winced in sympathy at how slowly he got to his feet. She shook her head, barely able to meet his eyes. "No. No execution." Turning away, she activated her omni-tool, intending to tell Nihlus what she'd found.

Once her back was turned, he moved faster than she thought possible; before she could even react, he had her pinned against the wall. A sharp pain flared in her side.

_Knife he's got a knife my God Shepard how many times do you have to learn this particular lesson?_

She fumbled for her gun, drawing it and forcing it against his temple.

Tamlak hadn't moved. The knife rested solidly in her side, brilliant fireworks of pain. It didn't _feel_ fatal.

"You gonna finish stabbing me?" Her brow furrowed. She asked out of confusion; no idea what he was doing.

"As soon as I move, you pull the trigger. What do you take me for?"

_There's another lie._ _Does he want me to shoot him before he kills me?_ Kate stood, pinned between the wall and his body, impaled on his knife, not pulling the trigger. Tamlak's eyes stared into hers, wild and desperate.

Kate moved her finger to the outside of the trigger-guard.

"What are you doing?" His voice wavered; it sounded like a trapped animal. "Fucking shoot me!"

"Finish stabbing me." She watched his eyes, growing more uneasy with every second that he didn't rip the knife upward, tearing through her vitals. She moved the gun away from his head. She could just shoot him. He couldn't kill her; he had no murder in him. She could shoot him, and no one would blame her. And she could forget she had ever doubted he came there for slaves.

What she couldn't forget was the noise he had made when she stepped on his balls.

"Look, if you're not a slaver, I'll make sure you're cut loose. We'll need more details about your operation. And, maybe if you stayed—" The knife shifted slightly and Kate paused, fighting off a wave of nausea. "If you stayed, we could probably use your help. You could do more with us than you managed on your own."

"Free to go, tell me another. I know I'm not walking out of here."

"Then go ahead and carve me up. Sure, you won't escape, but you can always shoot yourself after I'm dead. Your call. But, if you don't mind ..." Kate dropped her pistol to the floor, reaching slowly for her omni, trying not to spook the batarian any further. She pinged Nihlus, waiting for him to reply.

_"Shepard? What do you have?"_

"Nihlus, this one's innocent. No evidence either way, but I'd bet my _life_ he was there to help."

Tamlak laughed, a hollow sound ground out of misery. Kate smiled.

Through the omni, Nihlus sighed. _"All right, Shepard. Cut him loose, then. I suppose we can drop him somewhere."_

"Yes, sir. I'm going to make sure he has eyes on him at all times, so there aren't any accidents."

"_I'm sure that won't be necessary."_

Tamlak looked at her, shaking slightly. She could read his face, and saw absolute certainty there that he was a dead man, either way.

"If you don't mind, sir, some people here are a little leery of batarians. I'll set it up to be volunteer duty only, but it's going to happen."

Another irritated sigh. _"Have it your way, Shepard. Don't expect your team will get any leniency if other duties slip."_ He ended the transmission, leaving Tamlak blinking in surprise.

"You think you might unstab me at some point?"

He took a step back, and Kate sighed as the knife slipped out of her. One hand moved to hold the wound as she slid to the ground, still leaning against the wall.

"Stupid to trust me," Tamlak observed. The batarian looked at the knife in his hand as though he didn't quite know where it came from. After a moment, he dropped it.

"No stupider than you trusting me."

Tamlak grunted laughter, the tone flirting with hysteria until he brought it back under control.

"Really thought you'd kill me."

Kate's eyes were drawn to her own dark blood on the stylus-thin blade lying on the floor, closer to her than to him.

"I'd be willing to call it even and let you keep the knife, if you don't stab anyone else while you're here." Kate watched his reaction to that; he didn't seem to even want the weapon back. "Come on, we both need to hit the medbay." She braced her legs against the floor, sliding back up the wall until she was on her feet. "Thane, open the damn door and page Li to the medbay. We're coming out."

#

Kate stumbled to the medbay with Tamlak lurching beside her. Behind them, Thane moved silently, his gaze dark and troubled whenever she looked back at him. Tamlak, she noticed, kept his shoulders straight despite his injuries. She didn't know whether he noticed the stares and whispers, or if he was ignoring them.

Lilihierax waited for them when they finally reached the medbay, looking flustered. "Spirits, what happened? You know I don't have any training for levo species. I was trained by quarians and they're dextro, too."

"Well, shit, who does?" Kate asked. Grey waves passed through her, threatening unconsciousness. She still shook her head when Li tried to look at her. "Him first," she said, indicating Tamlak.

Li's mandibles twitched uncertainly, but he moved to check on Tamlak, gentle talons exploring the batarian's injuries. "Oh, these are broken, I think. I can tape them. But I'm not sure on which meds are good …."

Tamlak groaned, but when he spoke, his tone was sharp and strong again. You'd never know a few minutes ago he pleaded with her to kill him. "Don't bother with painkillers, then. But you have levo crew on board already. Just the level of preparation I've come to expect from your little resistance."

Li quailed, and Thane pushed by him. "I know first aid, and what to give you. First you'll explain what happened to Shepard."

"That was a misunderstanding. Or, accident," Kate said. "No need to worry about it, just patch us up."

Tamlak stared at her, face unreadable. Kate felt a moment of doubt. Sure, he hadn't killed her, but what if ...

_Go with your gut, Kate. He's afraid of the damn knife. Couldn't make himself kill you. He's an innocent._ "We already got our orders, anyway. Tamlak here gets dropped off as soon as we can. Probably Omega, since he's in trouble with his own people."

Li trilled. "Are the rumors true, then? Some of the captives told me you were trying to free them."

Kate's gaze snapped to Li. Why the hell hadn't she heard that? _Why the fuck would Nihlus not tell me that? Seems like that would be vital information._ She filed that thought away to examine later. If Nihlus had deliberately withheld that from her ...

_Don't know how you manage to get into these situations. Ship full of turian ex-slaves, and you're questioning your captain over a batarian's word._ Uneasiness curled in her belly again. Tamlak seemed innocent. She would watch to be sure. She had to keep an eye on him for his own safety, anyway. She'd be sure to get a good debrief with Nihlus, as well. Maybe he'd be able to shed some light on the whole thing. Somehow, she would figure this one out. For the time being ...

"Nothing that concerns us either way," Kate said. "Apparently, he fucked the Hegemon's wife, that's all."


End file.
